A 20-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping and murdering 21-year-old Israeli student Aiia Maasarwe in Melbourne, Australia.
Maasarwe, who was studying abroad in the country, was talking to her sister on the phone on Tuesday evening as she was on her way home from a comedy show when she was attacked. Her partially clothed body was later found in the bushes; investigators have reportedly concluded that she was raped.
The man, identified as Codey Hermann, was arrested after forensics testing connected him to clothes left behind at the crime scene.
Hermann was reportedly aiming to be a rapper. He had several social media posts discussing his mental health issues, which he described as battles “with the devil.” He also had a Jan. 10 post that read, “Shoutout to all the men going through a lot, with no one to turn to, because this world wrongly taught our males to mask their emotion & that strong means silent.”
People who knew Hermann told the Stuff newspaper that he struggled with depression due to family issues, which resulted in him turning to drugs and alcohol. One former classmate of Hermann’s reportedly said that when he recently saw Hermann “he looked like he didn’t care for his life.”
“[He] was walking in front of moving cars [and] crossing the street without looking,” the classmate said.
A week before Maasarwe’s murder, Hermann had posted, “International girl Of mystery You knows who you are.” Shortly after the murder occurred, Hermann posted a “b4 An afta” photo of himself as a baby and of him holding a Jack Daniels.
Hermann was reportedly out on bail over minor charges around the time of Maasarwe’s murder.
A silent vigil for Maasarwe was held on Friday. Maasarwe’s father, Saeed, said tearfully that he was moved by the tributes to his daughter.
“This is the last place my daughter… was here,” Saeed said. “I had many dreams to be with her.
