Murder of Sophie Collombet
On 27 March 2014, 21-year-old Sophie Collombet, a French student studying for her Masters at Griffith University in Brisbane, was raped and murdered in Kurilpa Point Park. She had been walking home after a three-hour lecture.
The killer was Benjamin James Milward from Ipswich. He was arrested on 7 April 2014 and charged with murder and rape. In October 2016, the Supreme Court of Queensland sentenced him to life in prison for both crimes. Milward had used the illegal drug ice at the time.
Many people who passed by Sophie’s naked body did not help, assuming she was homeless. A homeless man later found her and CPR was attempted, but she died.
Kurilpa Point Park sits beside the Brisbane River between the William Jolly Bridge and the Gallery of Modern Art. A popular riverwalk runs through the park.
On 10 April 2014, more than 2,000 people joined a march and candlelight vigil for Sophie and to show that Brisbane cares about violence against women.
There was criticism of a nearby Ozcare hostel for homeless men, where Milward had been living, and where he reportedly obtained the drug ice from another resident. The case raised questions about safety near Brisbane’s cultural precinct.
Sophie Collombet was buried in Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis in the Savoie region of France. Her funeral drew about 1,200 villagers, with a 120-piece brass band playing Chopin’s Funeral March.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:41 (CET).