A Melbourne mother-of-two who was allegedly murdered by her tradie neighbour as three teenagers watched on has been identified as Vicky Van Aken.
Her neighbour Milorad Zaric, 47, has been charged with her murder outside her home in Bayswater in the city’s east on Saturday morning.
Dressed in a white forensic suit, Zaric remained silent when he appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday
The court heard that the carpenter was withdrawing from drugs and alcohol.
Magistrate Ross Betts rejected a request to extend the time for the delivery of a brief after Victoria Police said they needed extra weeks to go through the large amounts of evidence including forensic material, CCTV and drug analysis.
Zaric was remanded in custody to appear at a committal on February 14, 2025.
Emergency services were called to a property in Bayswater on Saturday after receiving reports at 11.15am that a woman had been stabbed.
They arrived to find Ms Van Aken, 51, dead outside the home.
Police allege three teens witnessed the horrifying attack, with one sustaining a minor injury.
A Melbourne mother-of-two who was allegedly murdered by her tradie neighbour while three teenagers watched on has been identified as Vicky Van Aken (pictured)
Milorad Zaric, 47, has been charged with murdering his neighbour on Saturday morning in Bayswater, 45km east of Melbourne’s CBD. Pictured are police at the scene
‘It’s not a family violence incident,’ Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Ellway said on Saturday.
‘It is a tragic set of circumstances. Another woman lost at the hands of a man is just horrible.’
Shocked neighbours said Ms Van Aken and her family were new to the area, but they had been seen trick or treating for Halloween.
Ms Van Aken, who worked at Australia Post according to her LinkedIn profile, often posted about her children on social media.
The alleged murder unfolded in front of three teens, including Zaric’s 17-year-old son, the Herald Sun reported.
Ms Van Aken (pictured) worked at Australia Post according to her LinkedIn profile
The teenager was taken to hospital with lacerations to his hand.
It’s not known if he was trying to stop his father from his alleged stabbing Ms Van Aken.
It’s not thought that she and Zaric had any issues between them, nor were they thought to have been in a relationship.
Detective Ellway said there was little to no confrontation before Ms Van Aken was allegedly killed.
‘It appears as though the (alleged) offender has gone to the victim’s house and she’s opened the door and then she’s been assaulted and subsequently died from her injuries,’ he said.
Zaric was initially taken to hospital with a ‘medical complaint’.
‘We’re not looking for anyone else. It is an isolated incident,’ Detective Ellway said.
Neighbour Glenn Rowe said he was ‘a bit shaken up’ by the incident.
‘I’ve been here for 25 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,’ he said.
‘It’s a bit surreal. It’s terrible, I feel sorry for the kids and the mother.’
