Out Of The Shadow

As Eurydice walked home, there was someone about to steal her voice…

- Gail Shortland

Laughter rang through the Highlander Bar in Melbourne, Australia.

It was open mic night for local comedians, and Eurydice Dixon, 22, had taken to the stage.

She was a regular at the Scottish-themed bar and it was a great way for her to try out new material.

As always, her clever humour went down a storm.

Eurydice was a natural on the stage.

She combined her wit with a passion for women’s rights.

That night, 12 June 2018, Eurydice talked about robots taking over the world which meant there would finally be gender equality.

She wanted her comedy to get people thinking – and it did.

She had to grow up fast when her mum died when she was just seven.

She’d been raised by her dad, Jeremy, and rather than shying away from the world, she’d embraced drama, theatre and the stage.

Eurydice had performed regularly at venues across Melbourne and was making a name for herself.

When she finished her short slot that night, the crowd applauded.

Among them was her boyfriend, fellow comedian Tony Magnuson.

They’d been dating for just a few months.

At around 10.30pm, they left together.

Eurydice chatted all the way to the local station where Tony jumped on a tram home.

She then headed off towards the house where she lived with her dad and brother.

But she had no idea that in the darkness, a man was stalking her.

Jaymes Todd, 19, had seen Eurydice at the station, and when she separated from Tony, he started to follow her.

Eurydice was unaware that Jaymes was playing cat and mouse.

He stayed far enough behind that she wouldn’t spot him and hid behind various objects to stay out of sight.

But sometimes, Jaymes would hurry ahead and sit down, waiting for her to walk by him.