Reservoir: Melbourne Mum allegedly stabbed in the neck and disabled son dies while rushing for help

A man accused of killing his autistic brother and stabbing his mother in the neck was hesitant to appear in court in case relatives were in the public gallery, a court has heard.

Shaun Sanderson, 32, is believed to have killed his younger brother Rileigh, 29, and badly injured his mother Catherine, 65, in an attack on their family home in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Reservoir on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called just after 8 a.m. after Catherine was reportedly found seriously injured in the home and Rileigh with fatal stab wounds at a nearby hospital.

Authorities launched a manhunt to find Sanderson who allegedly fled the property. He was tracked down and arrested at a busy intersection in the nearby suburb of Preston around 2:40 p.m.

Catherine was rushed from the home to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious condition, with serious injuries to her upper body, including stab wounds to her neck.

Rileigh was allegedly stabbed in the house before running to Resevoir Private Hospital to get help. He was treated by paramedics in the parking lot, but could not be saved.

Sanderson reluctantly appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after initially refusing to leave the prison cells below the courthouse.

The court heard that Sanderson had not wanted to appear before the media or family members – none of whom were physically present in court.

The court heard that Sanderson has been charged with both murder and attempted murder.

He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody to reappear in court in July to give prosecutors six weeks to compile the evidence.

Before being taken back to jail, Sanderson’s lawyer told the court that his client had a history of mental health problems.

“While he is not withdrawing from a drug addiction, I think it would be prudent for him to be cared for by a custodial nurse,” he said.

“There appears to be a history of psychosis and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. He also has some scrapes and cuts on his nose and face.’

A local resident told Daily Mail Australia that Rileigh, who lived with autism, was ‘such a sweet boy’.

Photos shared on his Catherine’s Instagram page show her and Rileigh spending quality time together – buying hot chocolate, getting their nails done and traveling abroad.

In one of her latest posts, she shared a photo of Rileigh grinning as he posed next to Big Brother celebrity Farmer Dave.

“Rileigh was delighted to meet Farmer Dave at the dog show today,” Catherine wrote in October.

“Thanks for taking the time to take a picture.”

Tributes begin pouring in online for Rileigh, who is remembered as a “beautiful” person.

“Fly high R,” one woman wrote.

“So bad we can’t talk about the Richmond Tigers any time soon.”

Another said, “Rest in peace beautiful man. I’m going to miss you.’

Arriving at the house, police initially thought Sanderson was bunkered inside and they set up a perimeter to try and negotiate with him.

However, they soon realized he wasn’t there after they stormed in.

Aerial footage showed Sanderson lying in the middle of an intersection with his arms behind his back, surrounded by police.

Earlier, a team of heavily armed police officers tried to negotiate with Sanderson, demanding he come out through a megaphone, before realizing he wasn’t home.

Pam Egan, a Willoughby Street resident, told Daily Mail Australia the family has three sons and a daughter.

Ms Egan claimed that Catherine frantically ran down the street after the alleged attack.

“I heard she ran across the street to the hospital with blood all over her body,” said Ms Egan.

“I talked to (the family) before going for a walk.

“They are a hard-working family…. They are construction workers, nice and always friendly.’

Another neighbor said the street is normally “quiet and nice.”

“We heard the sirens this morning, my neighbor said it happened in the (hospital) parking lot,” said one woman.