A young musician was strangled to death before his backyard bungalow was deliberately set on fire to cover up his murder, an inquest found.
Connor Tolson’s charred body was found in a single-room cabin out the back of his parents’ house in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern East on September 19, 2015.
His death was initially thought to be an accident blamed on an electrical fault, until a post-mortem found strangulation marks on his neck.
Connor Tolson was strangled to death before his backyard bungalow was deliberately set on fire to cover up his murder, an inquest found
His charred body was found in a single-room cabin out the back of his parents’ house in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern East on September 19, 2015
Coroner Audrey Jamieson said in her findings on Monday the Riders of Sin drummer died in ‘circumstances that are unexplained and suspicious’.
‘I form the belief that an indictable offence has been committed,’ she told the Victorian Coroner’s Court.
Ms Jamieson said the musician had no soot in his mouth or any of the chemicals usually found in people who died of smoke inhalation.
That combined with the three injuries to his neck meant he was strangled before the fire was set and the blaze didn’t kill him.
However, she made no findings on who was likely responsible and noted prosecutors said in November there was not enough evidence to charge anyone.
The coroner said the musician had no soot in his mouth or any of the chemicals usually found in people who died of smoke inhalation
His death was initially thought to be an accident blamed on an electrical fault, until a post-mortem found strangulation marks on his neck
The inquest earlier heard Mr Tolson’s brother James was the most likely suspect as there was no one else who had any reason to kill the popular young man.
‘The unfortunate reality was there was a lot of things pointing in his direction,’ Detective Senior Constable Paul Jenkins told the inquest, according to The Age.
He repeatedly broke into the bungalow, used drugs and suffered from mental illness – now living in a mental hospital, according to reports.
The hearing exposed a history of family violence, including James threatening to burn the house down and kill Mr Tolson.
James was arrested for allegedly attacking his brother just three days before his death and several restraining orders were taken out against him.
Police were reportedly called to the home eight times in the previous two years, with the triple-0 calls from family members played in court.
Coroner Audrey Jamieson said in her findings on Monday the Riders of Sin drummer died in ‘circumstances that are unexplained and suspicious’
Mr Tolson, pictured in a YouTube video, was a drummer in an indie rock band named Riders of Sin
Mr Tolson’s father Bill said he was happy the inquest findings were public but was frustrated no one would be charged for his son’s death.
‘I’m incredibly disappointed that that’s the case but the problem is, as they’ve just said, there isn’t enough evidence,’ he said.
‘He had everything going for him, literally hundreds of friends. Like many of the others that unfortunately get taken away it just makes absolutely no sense.’
Mr Tolson was a drummer in an indie rock band named Riders of Sin from the age of 15, often using the bungalow as a rehearsal space. The band were even featured on Triple J Unearthed.
Mr Tolson girlfriend Isabel Luke voiced her heartbreak and commemorated Mr Tolson’s life in the days after his death.
‘Connor was just magic. He lived and breathed music and I’ve never met a more truly kind person in my life,’ she said.
Ms Jamieson said the case could be reopened if more evidence came to light.