Three teenagers have been charged with murder after a 22-year-old man was fatally stabbed while trying to intervene in a fight at Mernda train station in Melbourne's north-east. The victim, a local resident, attempted to protect a 14-year-old schoolboy from a group of attackers, according to police.
Emergency services were called to the station on Friday evening following reports of a fight among teenagers. The 22-year-old man and other passersby stepped in to defuse the situation, with the man walking the boy away from the scene. However, four offenders followed them and launched what Detective Inspector Nigel L'Estrange described as a 'savage attack' involving fists, kicks, and edged weapons.
The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and died at the scene. Four male teenagers, aged 16, 17, and 18, were arrested. The 16-year-old from Whittlesea, a 17-year-old from Geelong, and an 18-year-old from Mill Park have been charged with murder and armed robbery. The 18-year-old, identified as Mike Pikos, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday and was remanded in custody, with his next court date set for 24 June.
A fourth suspect, a 17-year-old from the City of Yarra, remains under police guard in hospital and has not yet been interviewed. Detective Inspector L'Estrange described the victim as a 'good Samaritan' who was trying to do the right thing. Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas expressed concern, noting that new youth crime laws could result in harsher punishments for serious offences.
