Man found not guilty of bashing Melbourne mother to death with paddle
A Melbourne man has been found not guilty of murdering his neighbour due to mental impairment.
Maud Steenbeek, a 61-year-old mother-of-two, was found dead in her Heidelberg West home on Liberty Parade in January last year.
Xochil O’Neill was experiencing a psychotic episode when he bashed Ms Steenbeek to death with a wooden paddle after breaking into her home.
Ms Steenbeek was on a Skype call to her brother in the Netherlands at the time she was attacked.
Court documents revealed the mother could be heard telling O’Neill to “get out” in the moments before her death.
Her son later came home to find her dead on the floor.
Ms Steenbeek was undergoing cancer treatment at the time of her death.
The mother and yoga teacher has been remembered as a “caring and wise” person, who was passionate about women’s rights.
O’Neill will be assessed for a supervision order to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital.
