Zoo Murder suspect Jude Wijesinghe has been charged with the murder of his 29-year-old female colleague. As per news.com.au., the Sous chef had been working at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge at the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra.
The victim has still not been identified, but news.com.au confirmed she was a Bhutanese national who was a colleague of Wijesinghe. Police stormed his apartment at the Oaks Estate at 2 pm on Monday and spent several hours looking for evidence.
The murder occurred just before 1 pm on Monday when people heard female screams coming from a kitchen storeroom. A knife was found at the scene, and Jude Wijesinghe had self-inflicted injuries. He was then taken to the hospital, where he was placed under police guard.
He is due to appear in court in April 2024.
Jude Wijesinghe has had quite a career as a sous chef as he travelled around Australia after completing his studies in Melbourne in 2019. He has a strong social media presence while running a blog to show off his culinary creations.
The Bhutanese Community Speaks Out
The First Secretary at the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Canberra spoke out and said that the victim was from Bhutan and that the Bhutanese community, which is very close-knit, was devastated by her death.
There is no motive as of yet, as the police are still trying to work out whether the victim and the offender were in a relationship at the time of the crime. According to the neighbours, no women were see coming or going from the apartment.
