Shooting of boy, 15, and girl, 13, in West Pennant Hills was premeditated, detective says after 68-year-old found dead

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The 68-year-old father who shot dead his two teenage children in Sydney on Thursday has been named as John Edwards.

Edwards was responsible for what police have said was the “premeditated and planned” murder of his son Jack, aged 15, and daughter Jennifer, aged 13.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest John Edwards. Photograph: LinkedIn

The financial adviser was found dead inside a home at Normanhurst, about five kilometres from the scene of the killings in the north-western suburb of West Pennant Hills.

Neighbours contacted by the Guardian have confirmed the father’s identity and described him as reclusive and standoffish.

One longtime neighbour said Edwards had become “morose” after his wife and two children moved out of the Normanhurst home about two years ago, and had spoken about suicide.

Police confirmed on Friday that the family had been in a custody dispute, and that Jack had spoken about being nervous about the case.

Edwards had bought a dog – a border collie named Jade – which neighbours said he had bought for his daughter when she gained entry to a selective school.

“That was the deal,” a neighbour who did not want to be named said. “But it was also a way of getting Jennifer to come back.”

The two children were found dead on Thursday afternoon in what police described as a “horrific” scene.

Det Supt Brett McFadden confirmed on Friday that a 36-year-old woman who arrived at the house shortly after the bodies were discovered was the mother of the two children.

Two teenagers shot dead in 'horrific' incident at Sydney home Read more

“I can’t imagine the significant stress and heartache she is going through,” McFadden said.

Police said they had found two “powerful” handguns at the scene of the man’s death, which they believed had been used to murder his two children.

The handguns were registered in his name, and McFadden said the man had purchased them legally earlier this year.

On Friday McFadden confirmed that the man had been living at the Normanhurst home while the two children and their mother had been living in West Pennant Hills.

There were no AVOs that police were aware of but there had been custody hearings relating to the two children.

McFadden said that after initial investigations police believed the murder was “premeditated and planned”. The man had attended the home on Thursday “in order to commit this heinous crime”, he said.

Police and emergency services discovered the two teenagers dead in a bedroom on Thursday just after 5pm. Police initially said the shooting was “targeted” and that they believed it was domestic violence related.



Inspector Kevin McSweeney from the NSW Ambulance service told reporters on Thursday night that paramedics who arrived at the scene had been “confronted with an extremely [distressing] situation”.

“Unfortunately there was nothing we could do to help [the two teenagers],” he said.

• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic violence helpline is on 0808 2000 247. In the US, the suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org