true crime

How a bizarre string of events took Hannah Quinn from aspiring teacher to accused murderer.

With AAP. 

Hannah Quinn is just 23-years-old.

The part time barista has dreams of becoming a kindergarten teacher. Until a week ago, she was studying early childcare teaching at Petersham TAFE, while working in a cafe on Sydney’s northern beaches.

She’s a vegan who loves animals and talks passionately about the environment on her Facebook page, Hannah Hugs Trees.

On that page, there’s countless photos of Hannah cuddling cats, proudly holding newborn babies, and smiling wistfully from the branches of tall trees.

According to News.com.au, Quinn lives in Redfern with her mum, Megan, a passionate anti-whaling, pro-vegan activist. Her father, Dean Hintz, owns the successful Miettes cafe in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo.

Last Monday, Quinn was charged with murder.

On Friday, August 10, Quinn went to the shops for some food and coffee for herself and her boyfriend, 28-year-old actor and martial arts expert, Blake Davis.

She had only just returned to Davis’ Forest Lodge apartment, when two men entered wearing balaclavas.

They were armed with knuckledusters, pepper spray and a fake gun.

It’s alleged Quinn asked, “Who the f**k are you?”.

Neighbours claim they then heard Davis say, “There’s no money here”.

According to Quinn’s lawyer Tom Hughes, one of the masked men, Jett McKee, then threatened the couple.

hannah quinn forest lodge murder
Hannah has been charged with murder. Image: Facebook.
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“You don’t want to get hurt. I will shoot you. There’s lots more people like me who will come and shoot you. Give me any valuables.”

McKee then allegedly punched Davis with the knuckledusters. He then fled the apartment with a bag.

The couple allegedly followed McKee out into the street, armed with a samurai sword.

Police allege Quinn pushed the intruder to the ground, and then Davis swung the samurai sword, striking McKee on the skull.

According to news.com.au, Quinn then said, “What the f**k have you done?”.

Police allege neighbours heard Davis later say, “F**k, I’m going to jail”.

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The two accused allegedly ran home and hid the sword before leaving with more than $21,000 cash, two mobiles phones, six nunchucks and a pistol – believed to be a pellet gun. The items were found in a laneway.

They then “hotel-hopped” all weekend while a massive manhunt for them was underway.

According to Hughes they went on the run because they were worried McKee’s friends would come after them. He said Quinn was “terrified” and “traumatised”.

“This is a 23-year-old girl with no criminal history who has been the subject of a particularly unpleasant home invasion,” he said in court.

McKee died on the scene from his injuries. He was an aspiring rapper, who performed under the name Scepaz, and was well-known on the Sydney hip hop scene.

According to police facts, McKee’s girlfriend was pregnant at the time of his death. He also had a gambling addiction.

He’d continued to play the poker machines despite his parents giving him $31,000 to pay off a debt.

On Monday, three days after the murder, Davis and Quinn handed themselves into police. Quinn was then charged with murder, handcuffed and transported to Sydney's toughest women's prison, Silverwater Women's Correctional Facility.

She is also facing an additional charge of being an accessory after the fact to the killing of the local hip-hop artist.

Quinn spent three nights in a three metre by four metre cell in the facility, before she was released on bail on Thursday.

She will face court again on October 9.