- Ashley Gordon was a kind-hearted GP and devoted uncle
- In 2024, he was fatally stabbed after confronting teenage burglars who broke into his home
- His killer was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment with a non parole period of 12 years
- Ashley’s family now honours him through advocacy, remembrance and keeping his story alive
Here his sister Natalie shares her story in her own words.
Watching as my baby brother, Ashley, then 21, proudly lifted my newborn girl, Dakota, high in the air, my heart swelled with love.
‘Everything the light touches is yours,’ he laughed, quoting the film The Lion King and re-enacting when the cub Simba is born.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ he smiled, safely handing my first-born girl back to me.
‘We were the best of friends.’
With just two years between Ashley and me, we’d always been the best of friends.
Raised on a farm in rural Victoria by our mum, Catherine, and dad, Glen, we were like two peas in a pod as we roamed around the paddocks and played at the dam.
Dad’s older kids, our siblings Tammy, Kerrie, and Brad, would often come around for a Sunday roast and spoil us with cuddles.
Ashley always loved to help others. In primary school, he bravely bandaged up my sliced finger after a fishing accident. He was also always helping with the animals on the farm.
So when Ashley declared he was going to be a doctor when he grew up, it made perfect sense.
It was no surprise when he was voted Most Likely to Succeed by his peers in Year 10.
If Ashley set his mind to something, he’d stop at nothing to make it happen.
When he started studying medicine at uni, I was so impressed.
On weekends, Ashley would join me and my friends at the pub, then crash at my place for the night.
Then, in 2014, aged 23, Ashley moved to Melbourne, about two hours away from me, to continue training.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ I hugged him goodbye.
I knew I’d see him less, but our sibling bond never faded. We’d talk on the phone daily, and I’d hear all about his colourful social life.
I’d also update him on Dakota, then three, who he adored.
‘My sweet little brother was only 33.’
By 2024, Ashley had moved to Doncaster with his flatmate, having recently become a licensed GP and cosmetic doctor.
‘I can’t wait to come and see you for lunch,’ I told him on the phone that January, as I planned to drive down and visit him.
But the following morning, I received a call from Dad that turned my world upside down.
‘We’ve lost Ashley,’ he told me.
‘What? Where is he?’ I asked, confused.
‘He was murdered,’ Dad crumbled.
It couldn’t be true, could it? My sweet little brother was only 33.
Breaking the news to my partner, Heydan, then 33, he was equally as devastated.
We spared my girls, Dakota, 12, and Blair, six, the awful truth, leaving them with my in-laws, while Heydan, and I, along with my parents, raced to Doncaster to meet with the police.
Detectives told us Ashley’s home had been burgled by a group of young offenders while my brother slept.
Gone was his gaming equipment, laptops, jewellery, and the keys to his flatmate’s car.
When Ashley had woken and caught the boys in the act, he chased them down the street to get his belongings back.
Tragically, he was stabbed to death in the next street over from his home.
Walking into Ashley’s place later that day, I could smell his aftershave.
My brother was my best friend. I couldn’t imagine a world without him in it.
Four days later, two teenagers, both aged 16, were charged with murder, aggravated burglary and theft.
I couldn’t believe anyone so young could be capable of killing my brother.
Another two teens were charged with aggravated burglary, among other charges.
‘Over 600 people came to his funeral.’
At Ashley’s funeral later that month, over 600 people came to pay their respects.
‘Ash’s energy was like no other,’ I sobbed at the service.
That July, one of the offenders charged with aggravated burglary was granted a diversion order. The following month, a second offender was found guilty of aggravated burglary and given a good behaviour bond.
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In March 2025, the third offender, who was initially charged with murder, had his charges transferred to the Children’s Court and was found guilty of two counts of aggravated burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, common law assault and assisting an offender with murder. He was given a 16-month Youth Supervision Order, taking into account his 414 days on remand.
Before the trial, I’d felt compelled to act.
I’d started a petition soon after my brother’s death, calling for reduced crime rates by granting police stronger ‘stop and search’ powers, if they have a reasonable suspicion someone is carrying a weapon.
By November 2024, the petition had received close to 10,000 signatures, and was then tabled at Parliament and passed for discussion.
Finally, in June 2025, 18 months after Ashley’s death, my family and I attended the Supreme Division of the Adult Court of Victoria for the trial of the teenager accused of taking Ashley’s life.
He’d pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary, but denied murder, instead claiming self-defence.
The court heard how, on the night of the attack, the offender, then 16, along with a friend, had broken into Ashley’s place after spotting his Mercedes Benz through a crack under the garage door.
Wearing gloves and face masks, they took sneakers, headphones, laptops, jewellery and the keys to Ashley’s flatmate’s Mitsubishi Triton.
They returned shortly after with two other friends, after bragging about their break-in at a party, in hopes of finding the keys to Ashley’s Mercedes.
‘He had been murdered over sneakers…’
On their third attempt, Ashley woke up.
After spotting them escape the garage, he gave chase in his car, while still barefoot.
‘There’s no point running. The police are on their way,’ he’d told the group when he found them the next street over.
While the other offenders fled, Ashley ran towards the 16-year-old, attempting to restrain him until police arrived.
But my little brother was no match for the teen, who stabbed him with a hunting knife, 11 times in the back, neck and heart.
As Ash lay dying, one of the other offenders kicked him in the face – an act labelled ‘despicable’ by Justice Amanda Fox.
My heart ached over the disgusting truth − my sweet brother who had so much to live for had been murdered over sneakers…
Horrifyingly, the teen later burnt the clothes he’d been wearing during the murder, while filming himself laughing.
Thankfully, a jury found the teen guilty of murder.
Facing Ashley’s killer in court that December for sentencing was overwhelming.
‘You didn’t just take Ashley’s life that day. You took mine too,’ I said, reading aloud my victim impact statement. ‘I will never forgive you for what you have done.’
‘This was a brutal attack with a weapon on a barefoot, unarmed man, who was only there at all because you had broken into his house. He was already the victim of your aggravated burglaries, and rather than surrender and allow yourself to be caught, you chose in that moment to stab him repeatedly,’ Justice Fox admonished.
The offender, then 18, was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment with a non parole period of 12 years.
Although no sentence will bring back our Ashley, we were thankful to see his killer behind bars.
But I am gutted that Victoria’s new ‘Adult time for adult crime’ reforms, introduced last December, came too late for Ash’s case.
To keep Ashley’s memory alive, I had his portrait tattooed on my arm, surrounded by his stethoscope, Mercedes and the Hawthorn logo – his beloved AFL team.
Two years on from his passing, our family drives and washes his Mercedes often. We also had specially made pendants with Ash’s fingerprints, which I wear on a chain, so we can keep him close to our hearts.
Our family talk about him all the time − and my daughters love bringing up their favourite stories of their beloved uncle.
‘Not a day goes by where I don’t think of my baby brother.’
‘Uncle Ashley was a doctor!’ they’ll say when they see a doctor or nurse.
I’ve since moved to the countryside with Heydan, and our girls, Dakota, now 14, and Blair, now eight, naming the 17-acre property Whispering Ash.
Not a day goes by where I don’t think of my baby brother.
