Murder of Eurydice Dixon

Eurydice Jane Dixon (10 November 1995 – 13 June 2018) was an Australian comedian and actress who performed regularly at comedy venues in Melbourne, Victoria. She was found murdered at Melbourne's Princes Park on 13 June 2018; her death was the subject of much media attention.

Education and career

Dixon studied drama at Deakin University.[1] During her time there, she appeared in the role of Justine in Burwood Student Theatre Company's production of Cosi in 2014.[2] She belonged to and often performed with the Moreland Theatre Company; an amateur theatre company in the northern suburbs of Melbourne where she lived; and performed in RMIT's yearly "Snatches" run of short plays.

In 2018, Dixon made her Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut with her solo stand-up comedy show, At Home, I Feel Like a Tourist at Melbourne's Highlander Bar.[3] She was also a regular act at Highlander Bar's weekly Free Comedy night held every Tuesday. and other venues around Melbourne.

Death and public reaction

On the morning of 13 June 2018, Dixon was found dead at Melbourne's Princes Park. She had been walking home from a performance at Highlander Bar the night before when she was attacked and murdered by 19-year-old Broadmeadows man, Jaymes Todd, who handed himself into police after CCTV footage of him was released.[4]

Todd pleaded guilty to her rape and murder on 8 November 2018.[5] On 2 September 2019, Todd was sentenced to life in prison.[6] Todd will serve a minimum of 35 years in prison before being eligible to apply for parole.[7] Todd appealed his sentence on the grounds that it was excessive, considering his guilty plea and diagnosis of Asperger syndrome; the appeal was denied.[8]

Dixon's death attracted mass media coverage and she became the subject of many tributes on social media, notably from fellow comedians Julia Morris, Paula Ferrari, Alex Lee and Jane Kennedy among many others.[9]

A vigil was held at the soccer pitch at Princes Park where her body was found on 18 June; it was attended by about ten thousand people, including Victorian state Premier Daniel Andrews.[10] Then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition leader Bill Shorten attended a vigil at Parliament House in Canberra, which also saw a large turnout.[11] The morning of the vigil, offensive paint markings were found at the site of the floral tributes to Dixon.[12][13] Andrew Nolch, a men's rights activist and host of the Indie Scientologist podcast, was found guilty of criminal damage and sentenced over the vandalism in September 2018.[14][15][16]

On 17 March 2019, the Victorian State government announced the "Stand Up!" grants for rising female comedians in her memory. Susan Provan, the director of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, said "The Stand Up! grant is inspired by the promise and ambition of Eurydice Dixon, a much-loved emerging comedian who friends remember as brilliant, brave and beautiful, unafraid to delve into challenging material and with a big bold laugh that filled a room."[17][18]

Also in 2019 No Apologies, a book by Joanne Brookfield on Australian female comedians was dedicated to Eurydice Dixon. It included a description of Eurydice Dixon and of her act, and of the reaction of the Melbourne comedy community to her death.[19][20]

References
  1. "Eurydice Dixon case: saddest end for young lady of laughter". The Australian. 15 Jun 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.(subscription required)
  2. "Burwood Student Theatre Company (BuST Co)".
  3. "Eventful: Eurydice Dixon - at Home, I Feel Like a Tourist".
  4. "Man charged with rape and murder of comedian in Melbourne park". 2018-06-13.
  5. "Man admits to rape, murder of Eurydice Dixon".
  6. Press, Australian Associated (2019-09-02). "Eurydice Dixon killer Jaymes Todd sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and murder". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  7. Percy, court reporter Karen; staff (2019-09-02). "Eurydice Dixon's 'sadistic' killer jailed for life, has 'poor' hopes of becoming safe". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  8. Percy, court reporter Karen; staff (2020-03-11). "Eurydice Dixon's killer Jaymes Todd loses appeal against life sentence". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
  9. "Fans shocked at the murder of a young comedian as she walked home after a gig". 2018-06-15.
  10. Tran, Danny (19 June 2018). "Eurydice Dixon: Grief, anger as thousands gather at park vigils around Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  11. "Eurydice Dixon remembered at sombre Melbourne vigil".
  12. Rizmal, Zalika (18 June 2018). "Eurydice Dixon memorial vandalised as thousands prepare for park vigils across Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  13. "Vandals paint offensive markings at Eurydice Dixon's Princes Park memorial site". Herald Sun. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  14. Rizmal, Zalika (2018-09-10). "Man who defaced Eurydice Dixon memorial ordered to pay $20k". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  15. "Meet Andrew Nolch, the new face of Australia's men's rights movement". Mamamia. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  16. "Andrew Nolch is an expression of growing far right confidence | Red Flag". redflag.org.au. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  17. Hore, Monique (16 March 2019). "New scholarships awarded in memory of Eurydice Dixon". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  18. Watts, Richard (19 March 2019). "Stand Up! grants honour memory & promise of comedian Eurydice Dixon". ArtsHub. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  19. Bailey, John. "No Apologies review: How female comedians do it tough in Australia". The Age. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  20. Brookfield, Joanne (2019). No Apologies. Echo. p. 87ff.
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