Full Breakdown
Australian Father Kills Two Children Before Suicide in Bali Home
By Drooid · · How we work
Bali Double Murder-Suicide: Facts of the Tragedy
On a Sunday morning in early September, Indonesian police discovered the bodies of 56-year-old Australian Damien John Shaw, his six-year-old son Archie and his four-year-old daughter Laura inside the family bungalow in the Legian area of Kuta, Bali. Security-camera footage streamed live to Shaw’s Indonesian wife in Jakarta, allowing her to watch as Shaw chased Laura, who repeatedly cried “I love you, Daddy,” before he forced her into a bedroom where investigators believe he had already strangled Archie. The mother later flew to Bali and declined to speak to police. A small toy truck was found near the scene.
Background and Family Dynamics
Shaw, an unemployed maritime worker originally from Fremantle, was described by a source close to the family as “arrogant” and routinely disparaging toward his children to school staff. Teachers at the Lentera Kasih international school and the Blue Dolphin kindergarten reported that Shaw called his son “stupid” and made similar remarks about his daughter, despite the children being regarded as well-behaved by staff. Local media reported long-standing discord in the marriage, including a near-divorce in 2022 and a prior suicide attempt a month before the killings, which was thwarted by Shaw’s wife. On September 10, Shaw’s wife left him with the children while she returned to Jakarta to visit her parents.
Official Statements & Responses
He explained that the father likely killed his son first, prompting the daughter’s attempt to escape. Police chief senior commissioner Leonardo Simatupang said investigators are looking into possible financial losses that may have preceded the murder-suicide. The coroner’s office at Professor Ngoerah General Hospital confirmed signs of neck violence on the children and noted that forensic autopsies were not performed at the wife’s request after CCTV confirmed the sequence of events.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It looks like he did it first to the son, and because [Laura] saw that, she was trying to escape,” — Senior Commander Ariasandy, bali police spokesman