Homicide detectives are continuing to hunt for up to six men involved in the brutal death of a Braybrook man in an incident that has shaken the suburb and left the man’s brother fighting for his life.
Castley Crescent residents were left in a state of shock by the vicious attack on brothers Paul and Sean Duncanson on Saturday night.
Paul Duncanson, 40, died in hospital amid reports his throat was slashed with a machete.
Sean, 44, underwent surgery for head injuries on Sunday and remains at The Alfred hospital in an induced coma.
The pair had been rammed by a silver hatchback as they walked along the street before suffering a sustained beating with a machete and an iron bar. Neighbours say the beating “went on for some minutes”.
Cheryl Duncanson, the mother of the brothers, has already lost a son to a car accident and a daughter who took her own life.
“When Sean comes out of the coma all right, I have got to break the news that Paul died,” she said.
She said her heart felt like it had been “ripped out of my chest” and she hoped her sons’ attackers “rot in hell”.
Friends described Paul as having a “heart of gold” in social media tributes.
The brothers are understood to have left their nearby Braybrook unit some time after 8.30pm on Saturday. Witness accounts of what happened during the attack vary.
One Castley Crescent resident told the media he was home with his wife and 13-month-old daughter when he heard swearing and shouting coming from the street outside and called police.
Another resident, Joy, 78, said she heard arguing and then a voice saying “help me, please help me”.
“I didn’t want to come out, because I didn’t know if someone else was around,” she said.
“I was too scared – I was honestly too scared.”
Another resident said he came outside when he heard a “massive altercation”.
“I only saw three attackers and one guy that was getting pulverised,” he said.
Inspector Kelly Lawson called for the public to speak out if they saw or knew anything.
“We are making an appeal for witnesses, if anyone did see something that may have occurred in Castley Crescent in Braybrook we would urge them to come forward,” she said.
– with The Age
