Medical student drives from Queensland to Perth to stab elderly dad
A 32-year-old medical student, David Moussa, drove from Queensland to Perth and fatally stabbed his 72-year-old father 50 times, then called police to report the killing. He also stabbed his stepmother, who survived, during the February 2025 attack at the family home in Clarkson. Moussa pleaded not guilty by reason of unsound mind, with court hearing he believed researchers had instructed him to kill his father due to alleged childhood abuse. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms linked to drug use prior to the incident.
- ▪David Moussa drove over 4,000 kilometers from Queensland to Western Australia with a 30-centimeter knife and duct tape in his car.
- ▪He stabbed his father to death and seriously injured his stepmother on February 4–5, 2025, after lying in wait at their Clarkson home.
- ▪Moussa claimed in court that medical researchers had instructed him to carry out the killing to end their experiments on him.
- ▪A psychiatrist assessed him as acutely unwell and suffering from schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms at the time of the offenses.
- ▪The trial concluded with the verdict reserved, and Moussa had previously been treated for homicidal ideation but denied plans to harm family members.
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