2LT Local News

3 charged with murder of boy whose body was buried in Blue Mountains

Mar 28, 2019

SYDNEY, NSW, Australia – There has been a flurry of arrests in the past 24 hours over the murder of a teenager whose body was found nine days ago in the Blue Mountains.

Jason Tsang, aged 17, went missing from Sydney suburb Canada Bay two weeks ago.

Five days after he was reported missing his body was found buried at a lookout at Wentworth Falls. This was Tuesday of last week, 19 March 2019.

The Homicide Squad, with the assistance of Burwood Police Area Command, established Strike Force Liebert to investigate the circumstances surrounding the boy’s suspicious disappearance.

“We know that Justin was taken to an address in Burwood Heights, where he was detained against his will,” Scott Cook, the Commander of the NSW Police Homicide squad told a press conference on Thursday.

“We know, moving into March 12, that Justin was beaten and brutally killed on the premises.”

“We know that the men responsible for this then put him back into the green BMW and drove to the Jamison Lookout at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains,” Cook said.

“Justin was buried in a shallow grave and those particular people drove back to the address in Burwood where they proceeded to clean the scene.”

The Homicide squad commander said the teenager had been physically assaulted “for hours and hours and hours” before he died. “You could say it’s torture,” he said. “There’s defensive injuries and there’s some suggestion he was actually pleading for his life. It’s very sad.”

Police believe the dispute was over a “small piece of property” which was of “little value.” They say it was not drug-related.

“It’s very concerning, if the underlying motive is a property dispute, that that can escalate to torture and murder, it is really is disturbing,” Commander Cook said.

Following extensive inquiries, strike force detectives, assisted by South West Metropolitan Region Enforcement Squad, executed a search warrant at a home at Burwood Heights on Wednesday 27 March 2019.

Three eighteen-year-old men and a 19-year-old man were arrested at the home and taken to local police stations.

Two of the 18-year-old men were charged with murder.

Police will allege in court that Mr Tsang was picked up by a green BMW from a Drummoyne, Sydney home on Monday 11 March 2019. He apparently got into the car willingly however when he was taken to a Burwood Heights property, it is alleged he was seriously assaulted and stabbed to death by the men, who then took his body to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains for burial.

The two were both refused bail ahead of a court appearance at Burwood Local Court on Thursday 28 March 2019.

The other 18-year-old man and the 19-year-old man have been released, pending further inquiries.

Following further investigations, detectives arrested another 19-year-old man at Bankstown Police Station about 7.30pm on Wednesday.

The Punchbowl man was also charged with murder. Police say he organised and coordinated the murder of Mr Tsang.

He was refused bail to appear at Bankstown Local Court later on Thursday.

Investigations under Strike Force Liebert are continuing.