Overview
- The inquiry was shown 2022 messages in which Dion Rudakubana warned of a “potentially fatal” risk, describing fights as life‑threatening and saying the family hid knives.
- He said violence at home had escalated, that police were called on various occasions, and that he believed Axel had tried to stab their father, though he was not certain.
- Dion testified he was often away at university and did not report concerns because the situation grew gradually and there was no single point that felt reportable.
- He told the hearing Axel’s capacity for empathy appeared to decline and compared him to a sociopathic character from the film No Country for Old Men.
- Axel, who murdered three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July last year, is serving a minimum 52-year sentence, and the inquiry resumes Wednesday with his parents due to give evidence later this week.