A cancer survivor was rebuilding his life when he was fatally stabbed by his stepson at the family home in Hillside, in Melbourne’s north-west, a court has heard.
Tony Di Falco, 61, died on October 4, 2024, after Mehmet Bertan attacked him inside the property. Bertan, 34, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Di Falco’s brother, Nick, told the Victorian Supreme Court the loss had left a lasting void in the family.
“He was far more than a victim,” he said. “He was a beloved brother, devoted father, a church member … and heart of our family gatherings.”
Nick said his brother had “fought and survived cancer and was looking to rebuild his life”, adding that the circumstances of his death made the tragedy harder for the family to bear.
“What makes this tragedy more painful was his final moments (were spent feeling) fear and confusion,” he said. “He suffered at the hands of someone he should’ve been able to trust.”
Psychosis and the fatal attack
The court heard Bertan experienced a psychotic episode six weeks before the killing, when he falsely believed the family home was going to be robbed.
Prosecutor Cara Foot said he went to a service station, covered himself in petrol and planned to set himself alight to “distract” the supposed thieves from entering the house.
Psychiatrist Rajan Darjee told the court he did not believe Bertan had recovered from that episode, and considered him to have remained psychotic and unwell during the period surrounding the killing. Another psychiatrist also agreed he was experiencing psychosis, although experts differed over his awareness of his condition at the time.
On the morning of the attack, after his mother and his sister’s partner had left for work, Bertan arrived by taxi carrying a knife in a bag. He entered the home and stabbed Di Falco several times, including three fatal wounds to his neck.
Di Falco collapsed and died outside the property while trying to get help, the court heard.
Bertan then entered his sister’s room and allegedly told her, “one last sexual favour before I kill you”. He removed his clothes, climbed into the bed of his pregnant sister and grabbed her before she escaped through a ground-floor window when police distracted him.
Retreating police shot Bertan three times outside the home. The court was told his sister had previously moved out after he threatened to sacrifice her and her unborn baby, but returned after he moved to a boarding home.
Defence lawyer Glenn Casement said the offending followed a decade-long serious mental illness that had not been properly treated, leaving Bertan’s self-control “seriously impaired”.
Ms Foot said Di Falco’s death was a serious example of manslaughter and urged the judge to consider the protection of the community.
Bertan’s mother married Di Falco in 2023, after his father died in 2010. The court heard both Bertan and his stepfather loved each other.
Bertan will be sentenced at a later date.
