Arabic version: أفراد الأسرة كانوا مشتبهاً بهم في البداية في قضية قتل إيرما بالاسيك

The ACT Supreme Court is currently hearing the trial of two Melbourne men, Joseph Vekony and Steve Fabriczy, accused of the 1999 murder of Canberra grandmother Irma Palasics. According to ABC News, the lead investigator testified that the first major suspects were family members.

Irma Palasics died, aged 72, after being bound and bashed by two men in her McKellar home during a violent home invasion. Mr. Palasics survived the attack and informed the assailants that there was no money, but they ransacked the house and discovered a secret compartment containing jewellery and $30,000 in cash.

Former detective Bob Peters stated that the burglars seemed to possess knowledge of this secret space, leading to suspicions about family involvement. However, all family members and associates were cleared at the time.

The investigation took a significant turn when DNA technology advanced, allowing for the identification of the accused men more than 20 years after the crime. DNA samples collected from the original crime scene were matched to Vekony and Fabriczy, with the prosecution asserting that the DNA evidence is highly incriminating.

The trial is ongoing, and defense lawyers have raised concerns about potential contamination of evidence during the investigation process.