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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Mum killed by Airbnb guest remembered as house fire destroys evidence

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Maree Vermont, a 60-year-old woman, was killed by her Airbnb guest, Timothy Loosemore, in rural Victoria, Australia.
  • Loosemore was found guilty of manslaughter but not murder, as the fire he set to the house destroyed evidence of intent.
  • Vermont's sons expressed distress over the verdict and the loss of evidence, remembering their mother as a proud and loving person.

The sons of Maree Vermont are grappling with the aftermath of their mother's death, as the man who killed her was found guilty of manslaughter but not murder. Timothy Loosemore, a British national, was convicted of killing Vermont, 60, in August 2023. The fire he set to her home in Goldie, Victoria, destroyed crucial evidence, preventing a murder conviction.

She adored the house and it was beautiful. She was really proud of her work.

— Darcy VermontDescribing his mother's pride in the house she built.

Darcy Vermont described the verdict as "upsetting and distressing," explaining that while an unlawful assault led to his mother's death, the subsequent fire obscured proof of intent for murder. "We have to accept what we can get," he stated. His brother, Harrison Vermont, highlighted the devastating loss, particularly the destruction of family photos in the blaze, emphasizing the importance of remembering their mother's life and work.

It was an unlawful, violent assault that killed her, and then burning of the house meant there was not enough evidence to suffice intent of murder.

— Darcy VermontExplaining the jury's verdict of manslaughter but not murder.

Loosemore had been staying at Vermont's self-designed stone house through Airbnb, initially in March 2023 and returning periodically to help with work on the property in exchange for accommodation. The prosecution argued that Loosemore attacked Vermont after she rejected his advances following a brief sexual encounter. Friends testified that Vermont had asked Loosemore to leave, but he continued to find reasons to stay.

We have to accept what we can get.

— Darcy VermontReflecting on the limitations of the legal outcome.

Maree Vermont, a trailblazing surveyor, had spent three decades building the house with salvaged materials, putting the finishing touches on it just a week before her death. Her sons recalled her deep affection for the home and her pride in her work. They also described her as a social, loving, and trusting person, which led her to list a spare room on Airbnb, a decision they now view with a degree of naivete.

The loss is just devastating, especially to us kids. She was just … she was our mum. She was beautiful.

— Harrison VermontExpressing the profound grief of losing his mother.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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