Two strangers who died in a suspected murder-suicide pact met in an adult chatroom just days earlier where they bonded over their mutual loneliness.
Barry Houston, 52, and Sonja Kovacevic, 48, were found dead with gunshot wounds in a backyard in Caloundra West, on the Sunshine Coast, about 6.30pm on Monday, leaving Mr Houston’s girlfriend Karina van Leeuwan in shock.
Detectives described the scene at the large white-brick house as the most bizarre they had seen in 30 years, and believe Mr Houston shot Ms Kovacevic with a high-powered hunting rifle before turning the gun on himself.
Two weeks earlier, the pair connected on social networking site Wireclub where Mr Houston discussed his ‘fear’ of opening up to another person, while Ms Kovacevic spoke about her ‘baggage’ and crippling ‘depression, anxiety, and PTSD’.
But sources say the vulnerable duo’s chance encounter was a ‘match made in hell’, with Mr Houston, known as Nitro online, and Ms Kovacevic, aka Sonjak075, quickly taking their conversations to a private chat on gaming app Discord.
During that time, police believe they devised a ‘clinical’ plan to end their lives, with Mr Houston travelling from Browns Plains home, south of Brisbane, to meet Ms Kovacevic in-person before shooting her then turning the gun on himself.
Sonja Kovacevic, 48, (pictured) was found dead alongside Barry Houston, 52, in a Caloundra West backyard on Monday
Police believe Mr Houston, 52, (pictured) travelled to meet Ms Kovacevic before carrying out a murder-suicide pact
Ms van Leeuwan, from the Netherlands, told Daily Mail Australia she was in a long-distance relationship with Mr Houston at the time of his death.
He was the ‘love of my life’, she said.
She said she first noticed her boyfriend of two years and Ms Kovacevic speaking in a chat room earlier this month after the couple had a brief fight.
‘I was hurting and found the chatroom by chance and watched in silence how they were “having fun”,’ she said.
‘I made a fake account and got in touch with Sonja too. We talked for hours … about her life, the pain she was in.
‘She was a tortured soul as was Barry. The day [they met] in that chatroom a match was made in hell.’
During their tiff, Ms van Leeuwan claimed her boyfriend began speaking to other people in chatrooms, insinuating he was single.
Messages between Mr Houston and Ms Kovacevic paint a dark picture of their state of minds leading up to their tragic deaths as they connected over their mental health battles and being pensioners.
On March 9, the pair began chatting in a group called ‘You don’t have to be alone’ about their daily plans before the topic changed to increasing alcohol prices and their drinking habits.
Karina van Leeuwan (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia she had been in a relationship with Mr Houston for the past two years. He was the ‘love of my life’ she said
Messages between Mr Houston and Ms Kovacevic show they connected over mutual feelings of loneliness and struggles with mental health
‘Talking distracts me from my loneliness,’ Ms Kovacevic said during one exchange. ‘Loneliness is a terrible thing.’
Mr Houston replied: ‘Yes it is and can cause terrible thoughts when you think you will never have someone again.’
Continuing to discuss relationships, Mr Houston said he was ‘not giving up hope’ but the ‘fear of being hurt stops you from having something good’.
Ms Kovacevic said she ‘won’t find anyone again’ because she ‘has too much baggage’, adding that she has ‘depression, anxiety and PTSD.’
Mr Houston divulged he also has anxiety and depression and asked if she found the chatrooms help or whether they make her feel worse.
Both revealed to each other they battled with mental health after meeting on the chatroom
READ RELATED: Caloundra West 'murder-suicide pact takes love triangle twist as victims' chatroom messages emerge
The pair spoke about a number of topics in a chat with others before starting a private conversation on another platform
Other topics on the table included sex positions, the war in Ukraine, favourite book genres, and television series.
At one point, Ms van Leeuwan, using a different account entered the chat to ask if the pair were a couple after noticing they ‘connected real well’.
Ms Kovacevic replied she and Mr Houston was ‘just friends’ who had met on that chat platform.
Mr Houston later found out Ms van Leeuwan had made a fake profile to speak to Ms Kovacevic and became angry, although they patched things up before his death.
Despite their recent quarrel, Ms van Leeuwan said she and Mr Houston were very much in love and had plans for her to travel to Australia from Europe later this year, after previous arrangement fell through due to the Covid pandemic.
She described her boyfriend as incredibly ‘funny’ and said Mr Houston was struggling with personal issues at the time of his death, often spending his time at home in his room.
Police believe Mr Houston and Sonja Kovacevic, 48, met on social media before carrying out a murder-suicide pact at the Caloundra West home (pictured)
The pair were found dead with gunshot wounds in the backyard of the Teal Street property (pictured)
Ms van Leeuwan said she last spoke with Ms Kovacevic and Mr Houston the day before they died.
Ms van Leeuwan said Mr Houston had recently made long-term health decisions, including getting a Covid vaccine booster and an eye-check, and she was shocked he ended his life.
‘We talked about all kind of things, also about suicide, we both agreed that it would be a bad thing and we wouldn’t end up in heaven,’ she said.
‘I’m so hurt and confused. We loved each other a lot.
‘I knew something was wrong after the first day neither he nor Sonja came online. The last thing he said to me was “it doesn’t matter anymore” bye Karina.’
Mr Houston, a childless divorcee who was no longer working due to a disability, described himself online as a lover of ‘hunting, shooting, camping, fishing ,rain forests, cars, and bourbon!’.
His fondness of hunting and guns extended to the virtual world, where he played the Hunter: Call of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands.
Another associate who knew Mr Houston through the gaming chat rooms told Daily Mail Australia he would become often erratic when drunk, leading to him frequently being booted out.
A friend said Mr Houston owned several rifles but was not a ‘mad gunman’ and used them as he was a hunting enthusiast
Mr Houston, who was known to own several high-powered rifles, was understood to be living with his elderly mother and brother, who has cancer, at the time of his death.
He had been on a disability pension for the past 20 years after suffering health issues due to a chemical exposure at his former job a flower farm.
The twin deaths rattled the sleepy coastal town, with seasoned detectives describing the case as one of the most baffling scenes they had witnessed in three decades.
Police said the deaths were so meticulously planned they seemed ‘clinical’, with evidence showing items were packed into boxes before the shootings.
Ms Kovacevic phoned police before the shootings, telling officers she planned to take her own life, with officers subsequently arriving at the home to find the bodies.
Ms Kovacevic, who was involved in a Family Court matter at the time of her death, is understood to have been known to police for non-criminal matters.
For confidential support in Australia, contact Lifeline: 13 11 14, Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636, or Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467.
Source: Daily Mail
