Australia Australia - Tracy Connelly, 40, St Kilda, Vic, 21 July 2013

singers

New Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2009
Messages
398
Reaction score
1
Tracy Connelly had walked St Kilda's red light district for at least a decade and knew her work was dangerous. In 2005, her minder was run over by a man who was angry that she refused to get in his car, Ms Connelly once told a court.
She tried to survive without sex work, but needed the money.
On Sunday, Ms Connelly was murdered in the van she had lived in with her boyfriend. It had been parked in Greeves Street across from St Kilda Gatehouse - a safe haven for sex workers.

Homicide detectives have cleared the boyfriend over the murder and are investigating if a client was responsible.

''It's possible that whoever approached her did so in some sort of professional status or was known to her,'' Inspector Potter said.

St Kilda Gatehouse chief executive officer Sally Tonkin said that Ms Connelly was well-known and valued for the friendship she provided to other workers.
''She will be so missed in this community because she was very caring and loving,'' Ms Tonkin said.

Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/st-kilda-prostitute-brutally-murdered-20130722-2qewy.html

Hope the police can find the person who did this soon. I have a friend who works across the street from where this happened and it must be scary for all in the area to know a killer is around. Perhaps a client or just a person who lives in the area?
 
Oh jeez.. poor woman.

I am really familiar with this area, it was my home for several years (I actually lived not too far from the crime scene at one point) - nothing like this happened in all that time...

I can't believe they still haven't decriminalized the street-walking that's been happening there for what? maybe five decades? more? There's so much support offered the sex workers there, blind eyes are turned left and right and always have been. I guess the crack down is the consequence of St. Kilda being "prettified", but that's been happening since the 90's, and the girls are still there..

Here's hoping they catch Tracy's killer soon. And I am sure the fact it's an upscale area these days will help the expediency of the investigation along, somewhat.
 
STREET workers were warned about an aggressive kerb crawler just days before a prostitute was found dead in a van in St Kilda.

"Sarah" said sex workers were told to steer clear of a man in a blue Commodore requesting "really filthy things".

"It was vile things and if a women refused, he turned really aggressive and violent," Sarah said.

"The message went out just days before (she) was killed, but obviously that's been passed round again now.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/la...eath-in-st-kilda/story-fni0fee2-1226682731444
 
Another article

----

She said she wanted her friend to be remembered as a beautiful person who was loved by the local community.

"She loved to make jokes and was incredibly funny," Ms Valentino said.

"She was gorgeous to look at, but also highly intelligent and articulate."

She said local residents had visited to express their shock and sadness.

"One lady was in tears, saying 'Was it the lady with the black hair? She was beautiful'," Ms Valentino said.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/...ry-fngnvlpt-1226684239520?from=herald+sun_rss
 
STREET workers were warned about an aggressive kerb crawler just days before a prostitute was found dead in a van in St Kilda.

"Sarah" said sex workers were told to steer clear of a man in a blue Commodore requesting "really filthy things".

"It was vile things and if a women refused, he turned really aggressive and violent," Sarah said.

"The message went out just days before (she) was killed, but obviously that's been passed round again now.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/la...eath-in-st-kilda/story-fni0fee2-1226682731444

:( at least the police have a lead. I hope they catch this creep soon.
 
Some of the lovely tributes left for Tracy:

239473-ff0138cc-f3fe-11e2-8783-a009e67a0d09.jpg


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/...n-tracy-connelly/story-fngnvlpt-1226684239520

I can't say how good it is to see so many respectful news articles and all these nice tributes.

I get so sad when I see reports of sex workers murdered, and it's three lines, worded as if their life meant nothing and prostitution was all they were about. Or it's all about the killer and the victim is just some faceless entity.

Tracy was loved, and obviously very much liked in her local community. Her death deserves as much outrage as any woman's deserves. While her death is a tragedy, I'm proud to see that in this community, her life meant something and her loss is shocking, and she was somebody to be spoken of in terms of respect.
 
From another nice article, by a St. Kilda local:

If we oppose violence against women, we oppose violence against all women, no matter what their occupation, their colour, their creed or their circumstances.

I hope that Tracy is mourned just like Jill Meagher, though I doubt this will be the case.

No life is worth more than another - the St Kilda community will remember you, Tracy. Rest in peace.

http://www.news.com.au/opinion/all-...ng/story-fnh4jt54-1226683666299#ixzz2a1QOUI3Y

And another, from another local at MamaMia:

http://www..au/news/tracy-connelly-...ign=tracy-connelly-st-kilda-sex-worker-killed
 
She sustained upper body and facial injuries. Hmm. sounds more like an attack to disfigure her working potential. I think the boyfriend of 19 yrs of a sex worker may have more info. Moo
 
Did these people see Tracy Connelly's killer in Greeves Street, St Kilda?

September 11, 2013

"In a bid to find the killer of St Kilda sex worker Tracy Connelly, police have released new security images of two people seen in the area who may have seen her killer.

Police have also revealed that DNA recovered from the van does not match any known offenders, and some clients of Ms Connelly had been cleared of any involvement in her slaying."


Video and article: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/d...et-st-kilda-20130911-2tiue.html#ixzz2jBgXF5yt

Attached Image: Tracy Connelly pictured with her partner Tony on holiday before her brutal murder.
 

Attachments

  • Tracy Connelly pictured with her partner Tony on holiday before her brutal murder.jpg
    Tracy Connelly pictured with her partner Tony on holiday before her brutal murder.jpg
    102.6 KB · Views: 48
Tracey Connelly: CCTV evidence provides new clue in murder

08/08/2013

"Detective Inspector Ian Potter from the homicide squad said grainy CCTV footage collected from the area lead detectives to believe Ms Connelly, 40, was killed between 1.30am and 2.30am on July 21.

Detectives had previously believed Ms Connelly had been killed during the day."


Detectives also urged anyone walking or driving along Greeves Street between 1.30am and 2.30am on July 21 to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Read more: http://www.theweeklyreviewbayside.c...evidence-provides-new-clue-in-murder/?cs=1221
 
“Her name was Tracy and she was my friend.”

2 August 2013

http://www..au/social/remembering-tracy-connelly/

Attached Image: Tracy Connelly, Tony, and her family.
 

Attachments

  • tracy-family2.jpg
    tracy-family2.jpg
    229.9 KB · Views: 50
Last week's Australian Story on ABC was about Tracy. It's available online on ABC iview until the 26th May. It's titled 'In Tracy's Corner'. It outlines her life story and includes interviews with her mother, father, brother, son, boyfriend and several St Kilda locals. Please watch it!
 
In Tracy's Corner - Transcript

RACHEL GRIFFITHS, PRESENTER: Hello, I’m Rachel Griffiths, and I live in Melbourne in the eclectic and creative St Kilda community. Last year, I was horrified and upset to hear of the brutal murder of a fellow St Kilda resident: a woman called Tracy Connelly. She seemingly went through most of her adult life thinking she counted for nothing. She couldn’t have been more wrong. This is her story.

LUCY VALENTINO, COMMUNITY WORKER: It’s a cruel, cruel life out on the streets. She’d come through that door and it was always ‘hello darlings’, yeah. She said, "Tomorrow we’re going to make cup cakes." It was on the Tuesday actually, um, before she died.

(Footage of women cooking in a kitchen)
LUCY VALENTINO, COMMUNITY WORKER: And we were all chatting away like you know busy little bees. COMMUNITY WORKER: I found this vanilla essence and she said, ‘Oh, I’ll have a swig right now’ and she took the essence and she put a little bit in the icing and then she proceeded to have a swig of the rest of it.
LUCY VALENTINO, COMMUNITY WORKER: Oh, she was a dag.
(End of footage)

LUCY VALENTINO, COMMUNITY WORKER: It was just a really lovely day of, you know, doing as she said some normal things rather than you know being out on the street and – cause she hated it; she hated it.

NEWS ANCHOR: Homicide detectives are investigating a death in St Kilda today the body of the woman in her forties was found in a van in Greeves St...

read more ............... http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2014/s4002861.htm
 
Rachel Griffiths is -awesome- and thank goodness she's spoken up for Tracy, her fame will help keep the spotlight on the case.

Such a sad story. I feel really sorry for her parents.

How's the part where social workers undermine her parents and then help Tracy move out of home, age 16, sending her to a place full of druggies...

Yet another example of harm caused to family by Aussie welfare workers.
 
A year on, three murders unsolved

July 11, 2014

Tracy Connelly

Police are still waiting for results from Interpol after sending DNA believed to be from Tracy Connelly’s killer to the global agency months ago.

Ms Connelly was living with her boyfriend Tony Melissovas in a van parked in Greeves Street, St Kilda. She was a sex worker in the area and it is believed she was killed by one of her clients.

Her body was found in the van by Mr Melissovas on July 21 but he is not a suspect as he had been in hospital that evening receiving treatment for a hand injury.

Detectives believe robbery may have been the motive for the murder. They are sifting through records of more than 3000 number plates, recorded by Mr Melissovas over 18 months from the cars of clients in the area for 18 months before Ms Connelly’s death.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/a-year-on-three-murders-unsolved-20140711-zt4rc.html#ixzz37XZRF4PG
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
72
Guests online
2,685
Total visitors
2,757

Forum statistics

Threads
590,011
Messages
17,928,948
Members
228,038
Latest member
shmoozie
Back
Top