A teenager who allegedly murdered his grandmother in a frenzied stabbing attack has been refused bail in a Sydney court after being extradited from Victoria.
Ethan Harwood, 19, is accused of stabbing his 67-year-old grandmother Pauline Farrugia 18 times at her Penrith South home on December 2.
He was arrested at his mother’s home in Nhill, in western Victoria, on Thursday and faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday as NSW police detectives applied to have him extradited.
Harwood appeared via audiovisual link at Parramatta bail court on Saturday where his lawyer did not apply for bail and it was formally refused by Magistrate Michael Morahan.
The mother was also in court.
According to a NSW police summary, Harwood had lived with his grandmother for most of his life. She raised him until he went to live with his mother at Nhill about a year ago.
Police allege Harwood became drunk and upset at a barbecue at his sister’s home in Sydney on December 2.
Other people overheard him telling his mother on the phone that he “wished he had never been born” and complaining of being physically abused by his grandmother when he was a child.
Police allege Harwood left the barbecue and went to his grandmother’s house while in a “highly emotional state”.
“Whilst inside the house, the accused attacked the deceased, inflicting at least 18 stab wounds to the torso of the deceased using several knives,” police say.
“The attack appears to be uncontrolled and the accused broke several knives while attacking the deceased.”
Officers found Ms Farrugia’s body on Wednesday after one of her daughter’s reported her missing.
Police allege Harwood tried to set fire to the house, which had been ransacked.
The stove and oven had been turned on, a smoke alarm was removed, and a woman’s wallet had been set alight using matches.
The TV near where Ms Farrugia’s body lay had also been switched on.
“Oddly, the television was showing a DVD of the accused and the deceased on holidays in Hawaii in 2012,” police noted.
The matter was adjourned to Penrith Local Court on February 9.
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