The daughter of an older couple who died a year apart was charged with murder after allegedly administering them a lethal dose of insulin.
62-year-old Raelene Polymiadis was arrested earlier this week and appeared at the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday where the court heard she had attempted to frame one of the deaths as a suicide.
Police alleged Brenda and Lynton Anderson, both 94, were murdered after being “administered medication” by their daughter. They also said neither of Ms Polymiadis’ parents was diabetic and that Ms Polymiadis was the only family member known to have diabetes and access to prescribed insulin.
Last week, South Australia Police’s (SAPOL) Detective Inspector, Mark McEachern, raised concerns about the results of the deceased elderly couple’s toxicology report and said the department had a strong suspicion they were killed by the same person. It was declared a Major Crime Investigation.
Prosecutors told the court that Brenda had a fall on February 23, 2022 and was taken to Adelaide’s Flinders Medical Centre where it is alleged Ms Polymiadis administered her mother with insulin on two occasions, the second of which led to Brenda’s death on March 16.
Prosecutors also allege Ms Polymiadis administered her father with insulin at his Hackham home, and then scattered his insomnia medication across the house in an attempt to make his death look like a suicide. He also died from the fatal insulin dose at Flinders Medical Centre on May 1, 2023.
“It’s the prosecution case that the accused administered that insulin to her father — gave him a small dose of Oxazepam to sedate him — then imposed the insulin, killing him.”
Ms Polymiadis’ defence told the court she wouldn’t be a threat to the community if released on bail and that the allegations weren’t clear-cut as both victims were elderly with multiple medical conditions.
“She has lived an entirely blameless life with an emphasis on her family, her faith and her work,” Ms Polymiadis’ counsel said.
“She attends church every Sunday and my instructions are her reputation amongst her family and community is reflected in the apparent shock that they’ve expressed in the allegations levelled against her.”
Ms Polymiadis will return to court in five months.
