Eurydice Dixon was a young comedian. A family is grieving, a community is in shock and a teenager is behind bars after a young female comedian was killed on her way home from a gig. Ms Dixon was found dead in the middle of a soccer pitch at popular Princes Park in Carlton North shortly before 3am on Wednesday. Police believe that she did not know her alleged killer, 19-year-old Jaymes Todd, who has been charged with one count of murder and one count of rape. The man handed himself into Broadmeadows police station late on Wednesday night, bringing an end to a major manhunt.<doc-sep>An aspiring comedian was only a few hundred metres from her home when she was allegedly raped and murdered in a Melbourne park. Eurydice Dixon's had sent a message to a friend as she walked home after a gig on Tuesday night, The Age reports. "I'm almost home safe, HBU (how about you)," she reportedly wrote in a message sent over Facebook just after midnight. Eurydice Dixon, 22, has been identified as the woman whose body was found in Carlton North. (Supplied) (9NEWS) Ms Dixon performed at the Highlander Bar in Melbourne's CBD on Tuesday night. (Highlander Bar via Dimmi) (9news) Jaymes Todd handed himself into police. (9NEWS) (9NEWS) Tragically the 22-year-old would be found dead only a few hours later by a passerby in Princes Park in Carlton North about 3am yesterday. Jaymes Todd, 19, from Broadmeadows, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court today accused of the rape and murder of the aspiring comedian after handing himself into police last night. It's understood Ms Dixon had performed a comedy show at the Highlander Bar in the city centre, before heading home about 10.30pm on Tuesday. Police allege Mr Todd raped and murdered her sometime between 10.30pm on Tuesday and when the body was discovered. Mr Todd kept his eyes lowered for some time after taking his place in the dock in court this afternoon and yawned at one point. The court heard it was Mr Todd's first time in custody and he had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Detectives photographs a pair of shoes, which were found near Ms Dixon's body on Wednesday morning. (9NEWS) (9NEWS) A floral tribute has been laid in Princes Park for the woman who was killed there yesterday. Picture: Lexie Daish/9NEWS (Supplied) He was remanded to reappear in court again on October 3. An up-and-coming star on the comedy circuit, Ms Dixon regularly performed at various venues across Melbourne. Highlander Bar has led tributes for the 22-year-old, describing her as "remarkable" and "talented" woman. "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news of the death of Eurydice Dixon," the business said in an official statement. "She was a remarkable, talented, kind, unique and universally loved person and the entire staff are shattered and heartbroken. "Our heart goes out to her family, the comedy community and everyone else who knew and loved her. She will be remembered fondly and sadly missed. RIP Eurydice." Several prominent comedians have also tweeted their deepest condolences to Ms Dixon's family, including Julia Morris and Meshel Laurie. This morning, Homicide Squad Acting Inspector Andrew Stamper said the community played a key role in helping arrest the suspect. (9NEWS) Ms Dixon (far right) performing in a play last year. (RMIT via YouTube) (9news) "Likewise the involvement in the media, they played a very significant role in being able to resolve this matter as swiftly as we have." Yesterday police refused to rule out whether the discovery of the body was linked to a sexual assault at nearby Parkville in late March. But today Insp. Stamper said police were "confident the matters are unrelated". "We are satisfied at the moment that the two aren't connected, which leaves us with the prospect there is an outstanding offender for that offence." In light of the recent attacks, Insp. Stamper encouraged the community to be mindful of their own personal security. Victoria Police Homicide Squad Detective Andrew Stamper speaks to the media at the Victoria Police Centre in Melbourne. Picture: AAP (AAP) The woman's body was found at the park by a passer-by at 3am yesterday. Picture: AAP (AAP) "If people are concerned for their personal safety, call Triple-Zero. We would rather have too many calls than too few." Insp. Stamper also urged anyone with more information to come forward. "If there are members of the public who have footage from dashcams and CCTV, call Crime Stoppers, we really need to get that information."<doc-sep>My first stand up set when I was the same age as Eurydice Dixon, was about being afraid walking home at night. Making jokes about it was a way to feel slightly empowered instead of small and frightened. Mourning for this young comedian who was entitled to feel safe.<doc-sep>Comedian Eurydice Dixon was killed as she walked home from a performance in the Australia city of Melbourne. (CNN) — The murder of a 22-year-old Australian comedian has ignited a debate in the country about the safety of women and the right to be able to walk home at night without fear of attack. Eurydice Dixon was raped and killed as she walked home from a performance Tuesday night through a popular park in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Carlton North. The attack stunned the community not only because it happened in what’s considered a relatively safe city, but because of the police advice that followed. After informing residents there would be 24-hour patrols at Princes Park where Dixon’s body was found, Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton advised residents to “take responsibility for your own safety.” Some interpreted his words as victim-blaming, that Dixon was somehow at fault for walking home by herself at night. A 19-year-old-man was charged with her rape and murder Thursday. Among tributes to the young comedian there was growing outcry on social media who called for the blame to be placed squarely on her attacker. “When I was a 22-year-old comedian, I constantly walked home from gigs along in the middle of the night because I couldn’t afford the tram fare, let alone taxis,” broadcaster Meshel Laurie said on Twitter. “Should we allow murderous rapists and poverty to ensure we’re locked inside our entire lives?” Bernard Keane, a leading political writer based in Canberra said the “victim blaming” from police was “garbage.” “Men don’t let women be safe anywhere,” he tweeted. It's a tiny consolation about a man's murder of Eurydice Dixon to see the ferocious pushback against the victim-blaming garbage from police and media about "staying safe". Men don't let women be safe anywhere. — Bernard Keane (@BernardKeane) June 14, 2018 Influential Australian feminist writer Clementine Ford said it wasn’t a lack of “situational awareness” that ended the life of Dixon. “It was a person who made a conscious decision to exercise extreme violence against her,” she said. Victoria Police Minister Lisa Neville addressed the outcry in a news conference Friday, saying the role of the police was to ensure people are aware of the risks around them. “Just as it’s touched and hurt our community and the family it also touches our police as well, that’s why they want to make sure women understand the risks while we fight to ensure we have safety within our communities and our homes,” she said. Some of Eurydice Dixon’s set from Highlander last week, recorded by her friend, Paula Ferrari. In it, Eurydice talks about gender equality and feminism. She begins, “I have a bit of a tendency to worry a lot, about things I shouldn’t worry about...” pic.twitter.com/qGJFIfR7ZJ — Tegan Higginbotham (@TeganMH) June 14, 2018 For two days local residents have been laying flowers at Princes Park, where Dixon’s body was found. Victorian State Premier Daniel Andrews said a public vigil would be held at the park on Monday at 5.40 p.m. local time, and those taking part would recognize that Dixon wasn’t to blame. “They will do so in firm knowledge that Eurydice died because of her attacker’s decisions - not because of her own. They’re right. And we need to accept that fact too. We will never change a thing until we do,” he tweeted. In a few days, women across Melbourne will hold a vigil in Princes Park for the life of Eurydice Dixon. They will do so firm in the knowledge that Eurydice died because of her attacker's decisions – not because of her own. They're right. And we need to accept that fact, too. — Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) June 15, 2018 Jaymes Todd, a 19-year-old man from the north-western suburb of Broadmeadows has been charged with Dixon’s rape and murder He was arrested on Wednesday night after handing himself into authorities after police released images of a man they wanted to speak to about Dixon’s death. Todd appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court Thursday where it was heard Dixon was killed between 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. John Riordan, a Victoria Legal Aid lawyer, told court it was Todd’s first time in custody and that he was highly vulnerable due to his young age and autism disorder. The lawyer successfully argued that images of Todd should not be published until more information on his condition was examined. Todd did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to reappear on October 3, the ABC reported. Dixon’s death and public reaction strongly echoes the horrific rape and murder of Gill Meagher, a 29-year-old Irish woman living in Melbourne who was killed when walking home in the early hours of September 22, 2012. Vigils were held in her honor for many months following her death. It emerged her killer Adrian Ernest Bayley had raped multiple women and had been out of prison on parole.<doc-sep>
An up-and-coming young comedian was raped and murdered while she walked home from a stand-up gig in Australia — sparking a nationwide outcry over violence against women, according to reports Friday. “I’m almost home safe. HBU?,” Eurydice Dixon, 22, wrote in a Facebook message — just moments before the attack, The Age News reported. The comic had just done a set at Highlander bar in Melbourne — and was blocks from her apartment — when the attacker struck around midnight Tuesday, according to the local paper. Her body was found on a football field roughly three hours later. Jaymes Todd, 19, later turned himself in and was charged with rape and murder, according to BBC News. Heartbroken friends remembered her as bright and funny. “She had a great passion for women’s issues and social justice issues and she drew upon them a lot in the material that she produced as a comic,” fellow comedian Nicky Barry told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Performer Alex Lee tweeted, “My first stand up set when I was the same age as Eurydice Dixon, was about being afraid walking home at night. Making jokes about it was a way to feel slightly empowered instead of small and frightened. Mourning for this young comedian who was entitled to feel safe.” Victoria state police later advised women in the area to “consider their personal safety and be aware of their surroundings” — sparking backlash over victim-blaming, according to the UK Telegraph. “When young men are tragically killed in one-punch attacks, an entire city has its nightlife shut down,” tweeted activist Elly Baxter, referencing a recent crackdown. “When a young woman is brutally raped and murdered, women are told to take responsibility for their own safety.” The country’s domestic Violence Victoria chief executive Fiona McCormack added, “We really need to challenge the concept of that male sense of entitlement about using violence,” according to the Telegraph. She added: “When we think about crime in our community, any type of violent crime particularly, we have an issue around gender. It’s something about our culture.” The country has “a disturbingly high rate of violence against women,” according to Australia’s human rights commission. Roughly 1 in 5 women over the age of 15 has experienced sexual violence or threats of sexual violence, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The comic’s death echoed the Melbourne murder of Jill Meagher, which prompted a 30,000-strong peace march in 2012. Todd will appear in court again Oct. 3.