A second person accused of the hit-and-run murder of a young mother has been remanded in custody, as police try to get ‘distressing’ social media posts about the case taken down.
Police allege Kiesha Thompson, 23, was deliberately struck by a four-wheel drive in a ‘horrendous crime’ while walking home on a footpath after dropping her daughter at daycare in Daisy Hill, Brisbane, on Friday.
Ms Thompson died in hospital that night.
Queensland Police charged Tyler Scott William James with murder as a domestic violence offence on Monday after he was arrested at Logan Central.
His case was mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Detective Inspector Chris Knight said police would allege James ‘was a participant in that murder … We believe that he was a participant in the planning and preparation of that offence.’
Insp Knight said the case had taken a heavy toll on the police.
‘I’ve been an investigator for more than 30 years, spent a large portion of my career doing homicide… and I can honestly say there are features in this investigation that will stay with me. It’s a horrendous crime.’
The inspector said the police are also having to deal with social media posts about the case that are compounding Ms Thompson’s family’s grief.
‘When I learned of those posts, and there has been a few, it’s distressing on so many levels.
‘But most importantly, the grief that causes the surviving victims of this, it’s difficult to put into words, it never ceases to amaze me,’ he said.
Insp Knight added that ‘We have taken steps to try to get those posts examined. That will form part of an ongoing investigation, but we’ve also taken steps to try to take those down, which is challenging.
‘But it’s not something we take lightly, and it’s inexplicable.’
He said his ‘colleagues … spent a lot of time yesterday with Kiesha’s family’.
‘They are grieving the loss of their niece, their sister. She was a mother. The impact (her death) will have on her family is tremendous.
‘We don’t lose sight of the fact that (the arrests) … it doesn’t change a great deal in their eyes. They are still without their loved one and nothing anyone can do can change that.
‘And that’s the tragedy in this. It’s an important milestone in our investigation … but it doesn’t bring Kiesha back.’
He said police will allege Ms Thompson and James had separated months ago and that they also shared a child together.
‘We will allege that the relationship was over, and was over for some months prior to the homicide,’ Insp Knight said.
James, 27, who is from Acacia Ridge, did not appear in person in court while his charge was briefly mentioned.
Police alleged James was known to the victim.
James’ solicitor, Catherine Stewart, requested that the matter next be heard as a committal mention before Beenleigh Magistrates Court on July 31 with his co-accused.
Police earlier charged 24-year-old Larissa Rita Mae-Leigh Sant with murder but have declined to say if the women knew each other.
However, Daily Mail has revealed that Sant was dating Ms Thompson’s ex-boyfriend.
Police say the 4WD was lingering in the area before the crash.
‘For that reason we don’t believe that it was an unfortunate, random traffic accident,’ Inspector Knight said on Sunday.
Sant was remanded in custody after her matter was mentioned in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Monday and will next appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on July 31.
Magistrate Julian Noud on Tuesday ordered James be remanded in custody with his charge to be mentioned with Sant’s at the same hearing but excused him from appearing in person.
The tragedy has left Ms Thompson’s family struggling with an ‘enormity’ of grief.
Koby Torto said his sister was taken from the family in a ‘cowardly act’ while her aunt Amanda Matthias called it ‘horrific and senseless’ in a video released by police on Monday.
Her sister, Keyara, said the pain of losing her sibling could not be put into words.
‘We are struggling with the enormity of her absence in our life,’ she said.
Her family vowed to take care of her baby daughter who was ‘the absolute light of her life’.
‘We are here to support her (daughter) throughout her whole life,’ Mr Torto said.
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