EXCLUSIVE
A kickboxer named ‘Hacksaw’ who was found in a hotel room covered in blood and with cuts on his arm, near his late partner, has a history of AVOs against him, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.
Shirley So, 50, was found stabbed to death at the Pullman Hotel in Penrith, western Sydney, about 1.10pm on Sunday.
Her on-and-off partner Darren John Berry, 53, was flown to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition where he remains under police guard.
No charges have been laid and there is no suggestion that Berry was responsible for Ms So’s death.
He is expected to hold out, but has yet to be interviewed by investigators.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that NSW Police went to court on Monday to ask a judge for a warrant to carry out forensic proceedings against Berry.
The magistrate has issued an interim order allowing detectives to carry out the proceedings, pending the decision on a final hearing on the application – which will take place at Penrith Local Court next Monday.
Darren John Berry, 53, is currently under police guard in hospital
Emergency services were called to the hotel on Mulgoa Road (pictured) at around 1.10pm after Ms So’s body was discovered.
Berry, a father and security guard originally from Sydney’s western suburbs, is a former fighter who competed under the nickname ‘Hacksaw’ in the 1990s and early 2000s.
On Facebook he follows many MMA, Muay Thai and UFC pages and regularly shares anti-vaxxer posts.
Internet reports indicate that Berry visited the eastern suburbs of the city, where Ms So is believed to have lived.
Berry was the subject of several apprehended violence orders issued against him in recent years, including two relating to an ex-partner in 2017 and 2019.
A third AVO was issued in 2019 relating to a man.
It’s clear that Berry and So had only started dating in recent months.
Homicide detectives have launched an investigation into the moments leading up to the woman’s death.
Berry is known to his friends as ‘hacksaw’
Berry is a security guard originally from western Sydney
Staff at the Pullman Hotel in Penrith, western Sydney, made a grim discovery on Sunday afternoon when they found the dead body of a woman covered in blood. The scene is depicted
The incident occurred during a busy weekend at the nearby Penrith Panthers League club complex, with many locals witnessing the massive emergency response as up to ten police cars arrived on the scene.
‘We came from the wedding fair [and saw] seven cars, three ambulances and two search cars,” said a witness.
‘[A] The man was driven out of Pullmans and was in very bad condition [intubated] & was put into one of the ambulances & rushed to the waiting Careflight helicopter.”
Meanwhile, devastated loved ones have flocked online to remember Ms So as a “beautiful” person.
‘[She was] a dear friend of mine, but also a mother, sister, aunt, daughter and a beautiful human being,” a friend wrote online.