IT’S not difficult to feel compassion for Larry Maiolo’s family.
An innocent man, Mr Maiolo had his life brutally cut short at the hands of ‘paranoid and delusional’ killer Daniel Zwerus in May, 2013.
What is difficult is finding compassion for Mr Zwerus.
By all accounts, both killer and victim were dedicated to their families.
Both were local fathers known among the community. But the two had never met; they were total strangers.
So what makes one turn on the other and take his life in horrific circumstances?
In Mr Zwerus’ case the answer seems pretty clear: meth.
A two-week drug binge has been cited as the reason Mr Zwerus, 33, was hallucinating and hearing voices in the lead-up to committing murder. In an all too familiar tale, daily ingestion of methamphetamine and cannabis left a grown man so completely detached from reality he believed he was under order to kill.
Just two weeks before 48-year-old Mr Maiolo’s death Mr Zwerus was released on bail after being charged in relation to a series of bizarre incidents in Perth.
In January the same year Mr Zwerus overdosed on party drug GHB and wound up in hospital.
During both incidents he reportedly begged for help from authorities.
He asked to be placed under psychiatric care. He asked for help regarding drug rehabilitation.
Custodial records show Mr Zwerus’ state of mind was far from lucid. And with a history of violent offences on his record, it is difficult to understand why nobody saw fit to detain him, either in custody or on medical grounds.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20. But why was Daniel Zwerus free to roam the streets with a drug problem so obviously eroding his sanity?
Why was he free to kill?
The blame for Mr Maiolo’s shocking death lies squarely at the feet of Mr Zwerus. He chose to take drugs. He ignored concerns from friends and family over his increasingly erratic behaviour. It was his hand which held the knife that left another man dead.
But surely some responsibility must be taken by authorities who came across Mr Zwerus in the months leading up to the killing.
Here was a man in desperate need of intervention and help; help that was never forthcoming. Because he slipped through the cracks, two families will now grow up without their fathers.
It is heartbreaking in every way.
But while Mr Zwerus will get another chance at life; the same cannot be said for his victim.
All we can do is hope he finds the help he needed in 2013 by the time he is released. Surely this lesson has not gone unheeded.
If you or anyone you know needs urgent assistance contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Mental Health Emergency Response Line on 1300 555 788 (metro) or 1800 676 822 (Peel).
