The family of a young girl murdered by Dante Arthurs in a crime that sickened fear he could kill again as it is revealed he could be released in weeks.
Schoolgirl Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu was raped then suffocated by Arthurs in the bathrooms of the busy Livingston Marketplace Shopping Centre, in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale, in June 2006 as her family waited for her outside.
The then-21-year-old was imprisoned for life in 2007 but with an opportunity for parole after 13 years.
The Prisoners Review Board, which makes parole recommendations to the Attorney-General, confirmed his release into the community will be considered in May.
The news has sparked widespread outrage, including from WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch, who said Arthurs should never be released.
Retired WA police officer Paul Litherland, who worked as a family liaison officer to Sofia’s family, has launched a petition to keep Arthurs behind bars that has so far received over 152,000 signatures
‘It was a crime that rocked the nation and there was a lot of controversy around him (Arthurs) as well… he had a pattern of behaviour which sadly led to his interaction with Sofia that day,’ he told The West n.
Mr Litherland said Arthurs had shown little remorse, so the former officer and Sofia’s family are deeply worried he could kill again if he is released.
‘We just want to send the message that the community is still reeling and still very concerned about the chances of him reoffending,’ he said.
WA Premier Roger Cook’s office said through a spokesperson that the crime had sent shockwaves through the state.
‘This was a crime that sickened the Western n community, and the family of Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia Shu continue to live with the pain of her tragic murder every day,’ the spokesperson said.
‘Understandably, it is a difficult time for her loved ones when the matter is up for review by the Prisoners Review Board.’
On the day she was attacked, Sofia had gone to the toilet at Livingston Marketplace as her uncle and siblings waited nearby.
As she was leaving the female toilets, she was grabbed from behind by Arthurs and dragged into a cubicle where she was raped, beaten and suffocated.
Sofia’s brother, then 14, went to look for her after becoming confused about why she was taking so long, and found her body.
Many police officers and lawyers who worked on the investigation still regard the case as one of the most harrowing of their careers.
In WA, most determinations on parole are made by the review board, however, in the case of life sentences the board only makes a recommendation to the WA Attorney-General.
The Attorney-General than gives advice on the case to the WA Governor, who has the final call.
WA Attorney-General John Quigley has not commented on Arthurs’ parole hearing but said that the crime was ‘shocking’ and ‘evil’ and that it still shakes the state’s residents ‘to the core’ 19 years later.
The parish priest for Sofia’s school, Mater Christi Catholic Primary School, Bryan Rosling previously said the family’s biggest fear was that Arthurs would be released.
He was previously refused parole in 2019 and 2022.