Eurydice Dixon was murdered while walking home from a gig in Australia. (Facebook)
The Australian comedian who was killed while walking home from a gig on Tuesday night had a tragic family life before her gruesome murder.
Eurydice Dixon, 22, was discovered dead at a soccer field in Melbourne on Wednesday, the BBC reported. She was walking home following a performance at a bar in the central part of the city when she was allegedly raped and murdered just a few hundred feet from her home.
During her walk, Dixon sent a text message to a friend stating she was “almost home safe, [how about you],” The Age newspaper reported.
James Todd, 19, of Broadmeadows was arrested after he turned himself in to police on Wednesday. He was charged with rape and murder in connection with Dixon's death on Thursday after appearing in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court. Police do not believe the two knew each other. Todd’s next court date was slated for October.
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The Australian reported Dixon had hardship in her life at a young age. When she was seven years old, the comedian’s mother was discovered dead at a shopping center in Brunswick. Dixon’s mother had battled a heroin addiction for 10 years.
After her mother’s death, Dixon lived with her mother’s partner, Jeremy Dixon, a lawyer and political activist. Kieran Butler, a comedian, recalled seeing Dixon perform stand-up.
“She was young, like 19, and she was talking about subjects that nobody talks about when they’re 19,” Butler said.
He also claimed Dixon was bullied while growing up.
“She had a f---ing hard time [growing up]. By her own admission she was a strange sort of unit. And so she got bullied and she had a tough life at home. There’s been tragedy in her past,” he said.
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Dixon’s death sparked anger among women in Australia. Police Minister Lisa Neville said, "Women should not feel unsafe walking home.” A vigil called “Reclaim the Park” was set up on Monday in Princes Park to honor her memory.
"She should have been able to walk home safely from work without being followed and harmed in such a cruel way," the group who organized the vigil wrote on Facebook.
Australia’s Institute of Health and Welfare stated in a report in February that family, domestic and sexual violence affected mostly women in the country. About one in five women “have been sexually assaulted and/or threatened since age 15,” the report stated.
Dixon’s great uncle, Eric Dixon, said the rising comedian “was blossoming” before her death.
“You see these things on TV but all of a sudden it’s in your family — the whole stark reality,” he told 9 News.