Former nurse unfit to stand trial over aged care resident’s murder
Supreme Court Justice Bruno Fiannaca, who made the ruling, said he was satisfied that Suzanne Margaret Lupica “suffers from a mental impairment”, due to dementia, namely Alzheimer’s.
A 76-year-old woman accused of murdering her aged care roommate of four days has been deemed unfit to stand trial by a Western Australian Supreme Court judge.
Supreme Court Justice Bruno Fiannaca, who made the ruling, said he was satisfied that Suzanne Margaret Lupica “suffers from a mental impairment”, due to dementia, namely Alzheimer’s.
He said the expert evidence before him outlined the defendant had major cognitive disorder “both as an intellectual disability and a mental illness”.
Ms Lupica appeared in the court on Tuesday, 9 December, via video link for an assessment of fitness hearing. She was charged with the murder of 88-year-old Lilian Donnelly at the Bethanie Waters Lifestyle Village and Residential Care in Port Kennedy, an outer southern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
Emergency services were called to the residence at 4:10am on January 24 this year, after receiving reports that an elderly woman had died.
Justice Fiannaca said he would publish his reasons for the decision at a later date, after being unable to “complete or settle my reasons” to have them published on Tuesday morning.
Due to the defendant’s mental impairment, a special proceeding will instead take place.
Ms Lupica was remanded in custody until her next appearance for a status conference via video link on 22 January, 2026.
