by Johnson Leung reporting for AFANA in Melbourne assisted by AFANA staff in Australia, Canada, and the USA
The Aussie Rules community is mourning the tragic death of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh at just 55. Police and ambulance crews were sent to Walsh's home at Somerton Park, a seaside suburb 7 mi southwest of Adelaide city center, just after 2 AM Friday Adelaide time (12.30 PM Thursday US EDT) following reports of family dispute. They found Walsh with multiple stab wounds to his body. Paramedics treated him on the scene, but he could not be revived. Walsh's wife of 28 years, Meredith, was admitted to Flinders Medical Center with leg wounds and discharged the following day.
Walsh's son Cy, 26, was arrested by police a short time later outside a school friend's house at Glenelg East (1 mi north from Somerton Park), where he had been regularly staying. Cy was sent to the same hospital for psychiatric assessment and was charged with murder at a bedside hearing in Friday afternoon. He has since been moved to James Nash House, a secure mental health facility, and will remain in custody until a court hearing on September 15. We have details of the impact to US TV coverage toward the end of this article.