An alleged murderer has admitted breaking into the home where a Canberra lady was discovered dead 24 years ago, but he claims not to have been responsible for her slaying.
On Thursday afternoon, Steve Fabriczy, 68, appeared in Melbourne’s Dandenong Magistrates Court for a hearing about his extradition to the Australian Capital Territory, where he will be charged with murder.
In November 1999, two men broke into the McKellar home of Irma and Gregor Palasics, bound and physically beat the couple, and then ransacked the place.
The court was informed that after Palasics broke free from his restraints—cable ties, duct tape, and a phone cord—he discovered his wife had passed away due to wounds inflicted in an alleged attack by one of the burglars.
The woman, 72, was discovered lying face down in the hallway with ties around her lips, hands, and ankles.
She had sustained a broken nose during the home invasion, an autopsy later confirmed.
She has effectively perished in her own blood, AFP Detective Sergeant Craig Marriott told the court, as she has been unable to evacuate the blood.
He said that after spending two decades looking into the murder, authorities discovered Fabriczy’s DNA in 2019 and claimed it matched forensic evidence recovered from the crime site.
Det Sgt Marriott stated that Fabriczy confirmed being in the Palasics’ home on the night the woman was slain but denied assault or murder during an interview with the police on September 8 of this year.
The detective stated, “He confirmed being on the property and he admitted being there with the intent to commit burglary.
He revealed information about the incident that, in our opinion, only an individual who was directly involved in it would have known.
Fabriczy, according to him, made “false denials” when he said he didn’t murder or abuse anyone.
In court, it was revealed that when Fabriczy was being arrested, he requested that the police “shoot him” before being charged with murder.
As Fabriczy attempted to request extradition bail, the detective testified in court.
He claimed Fabriczy had previously been found guilty of planning to steal smokes worth $1.6 million.
The prosecution opposed bail because they claimed Fabriczy had “significant financial means at his disposal” and intended to return to his native Hungary.
This included $250,000 in the bank, a solid superannuation balance, a Melbourne home free of a mortgage, and land he had bought in Hungary the previous year.
“This is an extremely serious charge with extremely serious consequences, and the temptation to flee would be significant,” the prosecutor added.
Additionally, he claimed that authorities were concerned Fabriczy would speak to his co-accused, who is still at large in the neighbourhood.
The risk of obstructing the capture and prosecution of that person should be the court’s top priority, he said.
Fabriczy’s attorney said that measures including giving up his passport could lessen his danger of fleeing.
She claimed he had health problems, needed to consult a doctor, and hadn’t been convicted of bail jumping before.
The bail motion was denied by Magistrate Jason Ong, who also mandated that Fabriczy be taken to the ACT in AFP custody.
To appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday, he will be flown out of Melbourne on Thursday night.
