A beloved father allegedly murdered by his stepson during a wild domestic dispute has been identified as a retired banker and train conductor.
Tony Di Falco, 61, was stabbed to death at his Chris Court home in Hillside, in Melbourne’s north-west about 6.50am on Friday.
His stepson, who allegedly killed Mr Falco, was then shot by police.
On Friday afternoon, Mr Di Falco’s sister Patricia Lanciano took to social media to express her shock, disbelief and anger over her brother’s death.
‘My beautiful brother got murdered this morning … (My) family are so devastated,’ she wrote online.
‘Our hearts are so filled with sadness. It’s so deep in feeling empty and numb. This should not have happened. The shock, the anger, he was my best friend.
‘We will all miss you so so much. We love you. Where are you for our weekly catch ups and our deep chats. RIP my beautiful brother Tony Di Falco, you are another Angel in heaven with our beautiful Mum and Dad. GOD bless you.’
In the days before he died, Mr Di Falco had repeatedly posted to his own Facebook account taking aim at narcissists.
Tony Di Falco, 61, was stabbed to death at his Chris Court home
‘Narcissists never commit to anything real or honest, so they avoid answering questions about important matters,’ he shared just four days ago.
‘They have no moral compass, so they hide from any real responsibility.’
Mr Di Falco’s younger brother, Nick, said his brother was robbed of the opportunity to live out his dream of owning a home on the coast, the Herald Sun reported.
He said Mr Di Falco was a retired banker and train conductor but had found a new hobby in investing.
Mr Di Falco’s Facebook page revealed he had a keen interest in investing in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.
‘He just fought cancer, he was going to start a new life near Golden Beach (but) he never got a chance,’ he said.
‘Tony always thought about his family, he had a big heart.
‘He was a nice bloke, he was a nice brother, he was a nice father. He was a hard worker, he wasn’t shy of putting in extra hours.’
Early details of the tragedy suggest police arrived at the scene to find Mr Di Falco critically injured with screams heard from inside the home.
They were then allegedly confronted by a man with a knife, who advanced towards them after negotiations failed, 9News reported.
Tony Di Falco, 61, was stabbed to death at his home in Hillside
Police shot a man just moments after another man died at a Chris Court home in Hillside about 6.50am on Friday. Reports from the scene said the men were stepson and his stepfather
Police gather at the tragic scene in Hillside on Friday
Police fired several shots, both inside the home and on the street, hitting the man in the lower body.
The man, aged in his 30s from Preston, was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital under police guard and remains in a critical but stable condition with lower body injuries.
It is understood a heavily pregnant woman, believed to be the sister of Mr Di Falco, called triple zero when he turned up unannounced at the home and an altercation broke out between the two men.
The pregnant female, aged 27, was taken to hospital for observation as a precaution.
Officers attempted CPR on the 61-year old but he died at the scene.
Police allege they were then confronted by the younger man with an edged weapon.
Despite attempts at negotiations, the man ran outside and allegedly stabbed a police car tyre and ‘advanced towards one of the officers’, The Age reported.
Police remained at the scene throughout Friday
Reporters gathered at the crime scene where Inspector Thomas addressed them
On Friday afternoon, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told reporters police were not looking for any other suspects in relation to the tragedy.
‘We believe all parties were known to each other and we are treating this as a family violence incident,’ he said.
Mr Thomas said the stepson was not living at the Hillside property and had ‘showed up unannounced’ on Friday morning.
Inspector Thomas said he had seen the officers’ bodycam footage and he was satisfied the officers had ‘done everything they could’ to defuse the situation.
Family members of the deceased told reporters at the scene the incident had been a result of a tragic domestic dispute.
Homicide squad detectives remain at the scene, which has been taped off as they examine the area for clues.
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.
