Cheryl Lucas portrayed herself as a doting mum. Now she is accused of an unimaginable crime days after Christmas
Online, she was a perfect mother, the kind of mother other women looked at and probably felt guilty about.
On Saturday, Cheryl Lucas’ facade came crashing down in the hardest of ways when she was charged with murder.
The boy who spread them on social media now faces what’s left of his childhood as an orphan if she is found guilty.
Lucas is accused of stabbing her longtime partner Heath Speedie to death in what police say was a “family violence” murder.
A young child was reportedly at home when Lucas allegedly went to Mr Speedie with the knife.
Lucas had used her son for years to enjoy the online glory that came with his existence.
“He melts my heart, so much love for my (son),” she told a friend.
Time and time again, Lucas posted photos of the child and sat back and watched the likes roll in.
Cheryl Lucas preached online how much she loved her son. She is accused of killing her son’s father
The reason why police claim Lucas decided to kill her partner just days after celebrating Christmas is unknown.
The 38-year-old allegedly stabbed 47-year-old Mr Speedie in the chest as he sat on the sofa of their home in Park Lane, in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Helen, on Saturday.
It is claimed Mr Speedie, who suffered serious injuries, managed to stagger outside before collapsing on the front lawn of the property.
Paramedics performed CPR, but he could not be revived. Police arrested Lucas at the home shortly before 8 a.m.
Photos posted on social media show Mr Speedie with his arms wrapped around Lucas as early as 2012.
Curiously, he posted a photo to his own social media account with a link to a song titled, “I’m not dead yet.”
It contains the text: ‘And this is how a broken heart beats. It rips my chest open like a pocket knife. It gets me through the good times and the bad times. This is what a sad song sounds like.’
Cheryl Lucas and Heath Speedie are back to happier times. She is accused of stabbing him to death
Cheryl Lucas seemed to be looking for compliments online, sharing image after image of her young son growing up
Heath Speedie loved nothing more than catching fish on the open sea
Lucas appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Monday for a brief hearing.
She was locked up in jail, said nothing and made no indication that she would make a bail offer.
The court heard it was her first time in custody and arrangements would be made for her to see a medical professional in prison for an examination due to ‘health issues’.
Speedie’s family members, who attended the hearing in person, declined to speak to waiting media outside the court.
Neighbor Doug Mills told The Age that Mr Speedie had gone out of his way to introduce himself when he moved to the area.
There was reportedly a young child in the home when Cheryl Lucas allegedly killed her partner
“We would see each other, we would wave or acknowledge them, and that was really the extent of it,” Mr. Mills told the publication.
‘Their house, at an angle, is about forty meters from us. And as far as I could tell, they pretty much kept to themselves, like most of us on this particular street.”
Mr Mills said Speedie was a keen fisherman and often drove to Portland to fish.
His social media account revealed that he had owned boats over the years.
It also suggested that he too had a good heart: he broke 250 planks at a karate charity event in 2013.
Lucas returns to court on April 15.