POLICE expect to charge a man in relation to a triple murder in Sydney's west within 48 hours after interviewing him in hospital today.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said Carlos Lopez will probably be charged during a bedside sitting in hospital, where he remains under police guard, either today or tomorrow.



Homicide detectives haven't yet formally interviewed the man but this is likely to happen shortly.

Police first heard about the chilling murders from an unknown man who made a triple-0 call just after 7am yesterday.

Minutes later, when police arrived at the St John's Park address, they were greeted by a scene one senior homicide investigator described as "a slaughterhouse".

Husband and wife Paulo and Olga Novosadek, both in their 60s, were huddled together in their pyjamas, dead on a bedroom floor.

The body of one of the family's butchered chihuahuas was lying on Mrs Novosadek's chest, while the other dead dog was found near the back door.

media_camera Scene of triple murder at unit block at Melbourne Rd St John Park. Police at the scene. Picture: Tracee Lea

As police continued their search, they discovered the body of their son Raul, who suffered from an intellectual disorder after a workplace accident a few years ago, slumped against a cupboard. All three had been stabbed repeatedly.

In another bedroom, 44-year-old Lopez was lying on his bed next to a 40cm army knife.

Senior investigators said that police had to draw their guns when confronted by Lopez but he was not threatening and willingly gave up the weapon.

He was taken under police guard to Liverpool Hospital for injuries to his stomach and was last night in a critical condition. Lopez is understood to be Mrs Novosadek's son from a previous relationship and lived periodically at the Melbourne Rd unit with his mother and half-brother.

A strike force has been established to investigate the slaying of the three family members.



Strike Force Elcho will examine the circumstances of the killings while forensic officers have removed the knife and a number of items for further testing.

Last night relatives were at a loss to understand why anyone would want to kill the family members.

"We are trying to find the answer to that ourselves," daughter-in-law Karina Novosadek said. "It's all very raw."

Heartbreakingly, she was watching television and saw her family's house on the news, cordoned off as a crime scene.

media_camera Scene of triple murder at unit block at Melbourne Rd St John Park. Police officers comfort each other at the scene. Picture: Tracee Lea

Neighbours said Mr and Mrs Novosadek did not live together but regularly visited each other. They were still married although living apart for "family reasons."

He lived in nearby Liverpool with their youngest son, a talented soccer player who left for the US last weekend to visit his fiancee.

Neighbours said Mr Lopez often stayed at the unit, but also had his own home elsewhere.

Veteran investigators last night described the scene as one of the worst they'd seen.

"It's like a scene from a horror movie," one investigator said.

Another said: "It's a fairly horrific crime scene ... There's blood everywhere, so we have to go through this very carefully to see what has gone on."

Originally published as 'Slaughterhouse' deaths stun police