Kate Bell, 31, was reportedly murdered by her boyfriend in his Richmond apartment in the early hours of October 10. Photo / Supplied
Kate Bell, 31, was reportedly murdered by her boyfriend in his Richmond apartment in the early hours of October 10. Photo / Supplied
A young Kiwi woman with a "kind soul" has been killed in Melbourne by a man she had just begun a relationship with, a fellow New Zealander who died in a suspected suicide after the murder.
The Herald-Sun reports that former Christchurch woman Kate Bell, 31, was killed by Rahul Patel, 29, at his apartment in the early hours of Saturday.
Forty minutes after police were informed, Patel was found dead near the apartment.
Bell had begun a relationship with Patel only months ago and there were concerns over his mental health in the days leading up to her murder, the Herald-Sun reports.
Kate Bell, 31, has been remembered as a free spirit who loved to travel. Photo / Supplied
A close associate told the paper that she appeared to be in high spirits days before her death.
"She was in a good place. There was nothing to suggest there was something wrong," the associate said.
Bell moved to Melbourne from New Zealand in 2018 and worked as a personal assistant at Deloitte before starting her new role as an executive assistant at building consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall in May.
RLB Director Tony Moleta told the Herald-Sun that she was a bright young woman who would be dearly missed by her colleagues.
