Australian father dressed daughters as ballerinas and filmed them dancing to Frozen theme song before killing them

 
On trial: court sketch of Charles Amon Mihayo (Picture: Channel 10)
Michael Howie5 November 2014

An Australian father dressed his two young daughters in ballerina costumes and filmed them dancing to a song from the movie Frozen before smothering them with a pillow, a court heard.

Charles Mihayo, from Melbourne, has pleaded guilty to murdering four-year-old Savannah and three-year-old Indianna on Easter Sunday.

Mihayo has offered no explanation for the killings but prosecutor Gavin Silbert told a pre-sentence hearing today that the 36-year-old murdered his daughters as an act of revenge against their mother, with whom he had fought for access to his children since splitting five years ago.

The QC said Mihayo dressed the girls in ballerina dresses and filmed them dancing to “Let It Go” from the movie Frozen before smothering them with a pillow, bathing and redressing them and then calling police.

The Victorian Supreme Court heard that Mihayo and the former partner had both engaged the help of lawyers weeks before the tragedy.

Four days before killing the girls Mihayo had Googled the question: “How can I kill my ex-wife.”

Defence barrister Tim Marsh said Mihayo did not want to try to justify what had happened in any way.

But he told the court the murders should not be considered premeditated.

He said Mihayo told police: “That just happened, it just happened right then and there.”

Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry said the public needed to know what could drive a man to kill his children.

“I think people need to know what happened,” Justice Lasry told Mr Marsh.

“Your client, as I understand it, is in possession of an explanation that he simply refuses to give.”

The mother of the girls was not in court on Wednesday but has previously released a short statement saying she was “utterly devastated” at the loss of the girls.

Mihayo is expected to be sentenced within the next month.

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