Forensic investigators analyse the scene in Aileron where a French tourist was stabbed to death. Photo / News Corp
Forensic investigators analyse the scene in Aileron where a French tourist was stabbed to death. Photo / News Corp
A backpacker has told how she was moments away from hitching a ride with a man who hours later allegedly murdered a French tourist.
Italian woman Maralina Greco has offered a chilling recollection of her encounter with a man she believes was Pande Veleski, who was charged with the murder of 33-year-old Frenchman Philippe Jegouzo on Saturday.
Veleski was taken into custody on Thursday after the stabbing death. He is currently under police guard in an Alice Springs hospital where he is being treated for dehydration.
"At some point we stopped hitch hiking to Uluru because I had to go to work the day after so we tried to come back to Alice Springs.
"We asked this guy and he said to us that he could (give us a ride) but only when the sun went down, so at that point my intuition said to me that it was getting really weird and we decided to not take the ride."
Five hours later, it is alleged Veleski approached Mr Jegouzo and his partner at a rest stop about 100km north of Alice Springs and stabbed him to death.
Mr Jegouzo's partner told police she tried to fight the alleged attacker off without success.
"Actually when I didn't take the ride I felt a bit sorry for him. I thought 'This guy looks so awkward that he probably doesn't even have friends', and because I try to trust humanity I was feeling sorry that I didn't trust him, but my intuition was right."
Marilina Greco says she declined the offer of a ride with alleged killer Pande Veleski. Photo / Facebook
"He was always uncomfortable talking about anything," she said.
"He wouldn't try to make any conversation with me or my friend.
"I've hitch hiked for years so it shocked me, but it was my friend's first time hitch hiking so it's the worst."
She said Veleski was behaving erratically.
"He said something really weird," she said. "He said he came from Adelaide but apparently it's not true, he's from Melbourne.
"He said that he was going with his friends to Alice Springs to go fishing. After he said that he said that he didn't know where his friends were so he was asking me for a good place to fish in Alice Springs.
"I was asking questions and he was just jumping from things to things.
A Northern Territory police spokesperson said Veleski will face Alice Springs Local Court on Monday.
