Masa Vukotic Murder: Man In CCTV Footage Surrenders To Police
The murder of Doncaster teenager Masa Vukotic gets a significant update as a man has been arrested in Sunshine. Close-up photographs of a suspect have also been released after the 17-year-old schoolgirl was stabbed to death on Tuesday.
Vukotic was “randomly” attacked in a Melbourne park. Her lifeless body was found near a footbridge in Koonung Creek Linear Reserve in Stanton Street. Neighbours saw a man running the scene as they were alerted by screaming. The Canterbury Girls Secondary College student could not be revived even though paramedics were soon to arrive.
The photographs of the suspect show him boarding a bus only minutes after the murder takes place. According to inspector Mick Hughes, a man surrendered himself to Sunshine police around midday on Thursday. Hughes said that officers had been aware of the Albion man. It has been confirmed by police that the man was the one who is seen in the released CCTV footage.
The suspect is seen wearing white sneakers, black pants and a red shirt in the footage. He is seen holding a white plastic shopping bag. Police believe that the he had the weapon in the bag itself. The man got in to a bus on Doncaster Road. He later got down near the intersection of Hoddle and Johnston Streets in Abbotsford.
Meanwhile, officers are trying to find if there is any other footage of the suspect. Hughes said that the officers were uncertain what led to the attack. "We don't know what the lead-up to this is, but we're certainly treating this at the high end of homicides and we're throwing all of the resources into it we can," he said, “Five or so people have seen him, it is a very brazen attack, we don't know just prior to the attack if this is a situation that's presented to him and he's seen fit to attack this poor young girl.”
Dr Mary Cannon, the principal of Vukotic’s school, said that the school was devastated by her death. Someone left a note at the scene of murder. The note is apparently from Vukotic's "lover" who called her unique. The note also says that the deceased teenager will “always be remembered.”
Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au