A beloved father allegedly murdered by his stepson during a savage domestic dispute has been identified as a retired banker and train driver.
Tony Di Falco, 61, was stabbed to death at his Chris Court home in Hillside, in Melbourne’s northwest, about 6.50am on Friday.
Police then shot his stepson, who allegedly killed Mr. Falco.
On Friday afternoon, Di Falco’s sister, Patricia Lanciano, took to social media to express her shock, disbelief and anger over her brother’s death.
“My beautiful brother was murdered this morning… (My) family is so devastated,” she wrote online.
‘Our hearts are so full of sadness. It’s so deep to feel empty and numb. This shouldn’t have happened. The shock, the anger, he was my best friend.
‘We will all miss you very much. We love you. Where are you for our weekly updates and deep chats? RIP my beautiful brother Tony Di Falco, you are another angel in heaven with our beautiful dad and mom. God bless him.’
In the days before his death, Di Falco had repeatedly posted on his own Facebook account targeting narcissists.
Tony Di Falco, 61, was stabbed to death at his home in Chris Court.
“Narcissists never commit to anything real or honest, so they avoid answering questions about important matters,” he shared just four days ago.
“They don’t have a moral compass, so they hide from any real responsibility.”
Di Falco’s younger brother, Nick, said his brother was robbed of the opportunity to realize his dream of owning a house on the coast, the Herald of the sun reported.
He said Di Falco was a retired banker and train driver, but had found a new hobby in investing.
Di Falco’s Facebook page revealed that he had a strong interest in investing in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.
“He just fought cancer, he was going to start a new life near Golden Beach (but) he never got the chance,” she said.
‘Tony always thought about his family, he had a big heart.
“He was a good guy, he was a good brother, he was a good father. He was a hard worker, he had no qualms about working overtime.
Early details of the tragedy suggest that police arrived at the scene and found Mr Di Falco seriously injured and screaming.heard from inside the house.
They were then allegedly confronted by a man with a knife, who advanced on them after negotiations failed. 9News reported.
Tony Di Falco, 61, was stabbed to death in his Hillside home
Police shot one man moments after another died at a home on Chris Court in Hillside around 6:50 a.m. Friday. Reports from the scene said the men were her stepson and stepfather.
Police gather at the tragic Hillside scene on Friday.
Police fired several shots, both inside the house and in the street, hitting the man in the lower part of the body.
The man, aged in his 30s from Preston, was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital under police guard and remains in a critical but stable condition with injuries to his lower body.
It is understood that a very pregnant woman, believed to be Mr Di Falco’s sister, called triple zero when she turned up unannounced at the house and an altercation broke out between the two men.
The pregnant woman, 27 years old, was taken to the hospital for observation as a precaution.
Officers attempted to perform CPR on the 61-year-old man, but he died at the scene.
Police allege they were then confronted by the young man with a knife.
Despite attempts at negotiation, the man ran off and allegedly stabbed the tire of a police car and “advanced toward one of the officers.” The age reported.
Police remained at the scene throughout Friday.
Journalists gathered at the crime scene where Inspector Thomas addressed them.
On Friday afternoon, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told reporters that police were not looking for any other suspects in connection with the tragedy.
“We believe all parties knew each other and we are treating this as a family violence incident,” he said.
Thomas said the stepson did not live at the Hillside property and “showed up unannounced” on Friday morning.
Inspector Thomas said he had seen the officers’ body camera footage and was satisfied the officers had “done everything they could” to calm the situation.
Relatives of the deceased told reporters at the scene that the incident had been the result of a tragic domestic dispute.
Homicide squad detectives remain at the scene, which has been cordoned off, while they canvass the area for clues.
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.