The Bulatoko community in northwest Sydney remains reeling after a brutal stabbing at a quiet home on Illabo Street in Quakers Hill shattered lives and left an entire neighbourhood traumatised. What initially circulated online as a “love triangle” has now been firmly rejected by community leaders and those closest to the victim, who say the truth is far more disturbing — a case of escalating domestic violence and stalking that ended in tragedy.
“This was not a love triangle,” said Bex Peterson, Director of Lewa Strong, a Pasifika violence prevention movement, speaking on behalf of the Bulatoko community. “This was domestic violence. This was stalking behaviour. And this was a young woman trying to escape a situation that had already become dangerous.”
Two people lost their lives in the early hours of Sunday morning. One of them was Anaseini Waqavuki, a woman remembered by friends and family as vibrant, warm, and full of life. The other was a 30-year-old man who, contrary to early reports, was not her romantic partner.
Peterson clarified that the man was merely an acquaintance of Waqavuki — someone who happened to be with her at the time of the attack. “There has been so much misinformation,” Peterson said. “It’s important for the community, and for the media, to understand that this narrative of jealousy or a love triangle is not only wrong, but harmful.”
According to Peterson, Waqavuki had ended her relationship with the accused two months ago, after experiencing multiple forms of violence during their time together. What followed, she said, was a period marked by fear and intimidation.
“She was living under constant pressure,” Peterson explained. “Different forms of violence were present during that relationship. Ending it did not end the danger.”
Police allege that 47-year-old Anare Vunitabua fatally stabbed Waqavuki inside her kitchen before attacking her acquaintance, who was found critically injured on the footpath outside the Illabo Street home. The man suffered stab wounds to his stomach and hands and was rushed to hospital, but died several hours later.
Waqavuki was found inside her home with multiple stab wounds, her life violently taken in what authorities believe was a domestic violence-related attack. NSW Police Superintendent Jason Joyce later described the scene as “traumatic” and “confronting” — not only for first responders, but also for neighbours who awoke to sirens, flashing lights, and the horrifying realisation that something catastrophic had unfolded next door.
“This is a tragic reminder of how dangerous domestic violence situations can become,” Superintendent Joyce said on Sunday, confirming police were treating the incident as domestic violence-related from the outset.
A knife believed to be connected to the attack was later recovered from a service station on Richmond Road in Woodcroft, adding another grim detail to a case already steeped in violence and loss.
For those who knew Waqavuki, the pain is overwhelming. Peterson described her as someone who brought light wherever she went. “She was lively,” she said. “She could light up a room just by walking into it. That’s who we’ve lost.”
Members of the Bulatoko community say her death has left a deep wound — one compounded by the frustration of seeing her story mischaracterised in its earliest hours.
“When domestic violence is reduced to a ‘crime of passion’ or a love triangle, it erases the reality of what victims go through,” Peterson said. “It erases the warning signs, the fear, the courage it takes to leave, and the danger that often follows.”
Advocates say Waqavuki’s experience reflects a broader pattern seen in domestic violence cases: the period after leaving an abusive relationship is often the most dangerous. Stalking behaviours, threats, and escalating aggression can intensify as perpetrators attempt to regain control.
“This is why language matters,” Peterson said. “This wasn’t sudden. This didn’t come out of nowhere.”
Vunitabua has been charged with murder in connection with the deaths. He was scheduled to appear before the Bail Division Court on Monday morning, but the magistrate declined to bring him in, noting it was not necessary. He did not apply for bail and will remain in custody ahead of his next court appearance in February 2026 at the Downing Centre Local Court.
As legal proceedings begin, the community is left to grapple with grief — and with hard questions about how domestic violence is recognised, reported, and responded to.
Neighbours described Illabo Street as normally quiet, the kind of place where families live without expecting violence to erupt at dawn. Now, flowers and messages of condolence mark a site that has become synonymous with loss.
For Pasifika communities, Peterson said, the tragedy has also sparked renewed conversations about speaking up, supporting victims, and challenging harmful narratives.
“We have to listen when women say they’re afraid,” she said. “We have to take stalking seriously. And we have to stop rewriting domestic violence as something romantic or mutual.”
As tributes continue to pour in for Anaseini Waqavuki, those who loved her say they want her remembered not for the way she died, but for the joy she brought into their lives — and for the urgent lesson her death leaves behind.
“She deserved safety,” Peterson said quietly. “She deserved to live. And we cannot let her story be misunderstood.”
