The ‘very religious’ parents of the killer responsible for the Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre massacre emerged from their Queensland home on Sunday evening after breaking their silence on the horrific stabbing spree.
Andrew and Michele Cauchi, both in their 70s, declined to speak with media after earlier describing their son Joel Cauchi’s murderous rampage as ‘truly horrific’.
A neighbour who has lived on the street for more than 30 years visited Mrs Cauchi for about an hour, while a man believed to be a family member was also at the house helping Mr Cauchi with his pigeon coops.
The Cauchis have lived in the Toowoomba suburb of Rockville for 46 years, and last saw their son just a few short months ago when the 40-year-old came for Christmas, but according to neighbours he did not show his face outside during the visit.
One neighbour, Carol, told Daily Mail that Andrew had said Joel was due back home this week to help him reduce the number of pigeons he keeps in aviaries at the back of the property, after he received noise and odour complaints.
Mr Cauchi and an unidentified man stared at the gathered media
On Sunday night, a neighbour who has lived on the street for more than 30 years visited Mrs Cauchi (pictured in the red top) for about an hour, saying ‘have a bit of compassion’ to the media when she left
Mr Cauchi emerged to feed his pigeons while carrying a headtorch in the pitch black around 7pm (pictured)
However, as he went about his routine of feeding the pigeons while carrying a headtorch in the dark at about 7pm, Carol said she did not see how Mr Cauchi could carry out the task of removing hundreds of pigeons now that his son was dead.
Joel Cauchi was shot and killed by hero NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott on Saturday afternoon, after he stormed the busy shopping centre in Sydney’s east with a 30cm hunting knife stabbing shoppers at random.
Six people were killed in the rampage and at least 12 more were rushed to hospital, including a nine-month old baby.
His parents learnt about the horror when they recognised their son from footage on TV and made a frantic phone call to police, but by that stage it was too late.
Andrew Cauchi has lived in the Darling Downs suburb of Rockville for 46 years with his wife Michele (their property is pictured)
A neighbour revealed that Joel (pictured) was due back home this week to help his father reduce the number of pigeons he keeps in aviaries at the back of the property
Cauchi was schizophrenic and police are treating the horrific attack as mental-health related.
The Cauchis said in their statement that they have ‘no issues’ with her actions or that of the NSW Police.
‘We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events that occurred in Sydney yesterday,’ they said.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment at this time.
‘Joel’s actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened.
‘He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.
READ MORE: Heroic ‘bollard man’ who fought off knife-wielding maniac on escalator at Westfield Bondi Junction reveals what it was like to come face-to-face with the killer
Damien Guerot (pictured) picked up a retractable barrier and confronted killer Joel Cauchi, 40, as he advanced menacingly up an escalator
‘We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and Queensland Police Service and have no issues with the Police Officer who shot our son as she was only doing her job to protect others and we hope she is coping alright.’
Carol and another neighbour said Andrew Cauchi is ‘very religious’ and had worshipped at a number of Toowoomba churches since parting ways with the Catholic faith after expressing his disgust with priests sexually assaulting children.
‘He loves those birds. He often takes his shirt off and lies on his back and looks up at the sky while waving around a stick which makes the pigeons stir up and fly about,’ one neighbour said.
Mr Cauchi often referred to son Joel as ‘a backpacker who travels to Melbourne’.
Carol said: ‘He told me that his son was a well-behaved boy who got a bus pass so he could travel around.
‘At one point the son came back home with some other backpackers to help weed the yard. Andrew just loves gardening.’
It is unclear whether Mr and Mrs Cauchi knew of their son’s double-life as a male escort.
Cauchi offered his sexual services online as recently as mid 2023, describing himself as ‘athletic [and] good looking’.
He offered ‘closed door’ services to both men and women, among other options too graphic to publish.
On Sunday, Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe said police had learned of Cauchi’s dire living arrangements from his family.
In recent weeks the 40-year-old had been sleeping in a car or at a backpacker’s hostel.
Although he was not in regular contact with his parents, he did ‘text his mother with an update as to where he was’, Assistant Commissioner Lowe said.
On Sunday night, the neighbour who visited Mrs Cauchi said ‘have a bit of compassion’ to the media when she left.
Five of the six victims killed in the horrific stabbing rampage have been identified so far.
They include bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, 25, architect Jade Young, 47, security guard Faraz Tahir, 30 and artist Pikria Darchia, 55.
Mother-of-one Ashlee Good, 38, died in hospital from her injuries after trying to save her nine-month-old child who had also been stabbed.
The little girl is currently in intensive care. Two other stabbing victims are fighting for life in critical condition, while around a dozen were left injured by Cauchi’s rampage.
One more female victim, who is believed to be from overseas, has not yet been identified.
John Singleton’s daughter Dawnie, 25, has been named among six people murdered by knife wielding attacker Joel Cauchi at Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday
Ashlee Good (pictured), died at St Vincent’s hospital on Saturday night after being stabbed in the rampage
Faraz Tahir, aged 30, tragically lost his life while serving the public as a security guard during this attack. He was a refugee from Pakistan
Jade Young (pictured), from Bellevue Hill, died in the attack
Pikria Darchia (pictured), 55, who describes herself as an artist on LinkedIn and is understood to originally hail from Tbilisi in Georgia, was the fifth victim to be identified