A grieving son has recounted the devastating events that led to his mother’s death at the hands of an Airbnb guest who became fixated on her. Maree Vermont, 60, was killed by Timothy Loosemore, 62, after she rejected his advances. Loosemore subsequently set fire to her home, destroying crucial evidence of the crime.

Darcy Vermont, Maree’s son, shared his mother’s story on ‘The Trial Australia’ podcast, detailing how a man she had shown kindness to ultimately turned violent when his romantic expectations were not met. Maree had dedicated 30 years to building a unique stone house on a remote property in Victoria, transforming a wilderness area into a cherished family home.

“I feel like I had a very lucky, idyllic upbringing,” Darcy told the podcast. “We grew up on a farm in the country, we had a lot of exposure to the outdoors, lots of family time. She was a stay-home mum, so she was with us all the time. She was super caring, kind and giving and I’m very grateful – even today – of everything that she’s done for us.”

The property, known as The Stone House, is situated in a secluded valley near the small town of Goldie, approximately an hour north of Melbourne. Darcy described the location as feeling “very isolated” and “a long way from the city,” yet still accessible. The family lived without modern conveniences like internet or television, fostering a sense of being “hidden away.” His parents purchased the undeveloped land in 1985 and lived in temporary structures while they developed the property, constructing fences, roads, and dams.

Maree Vermont was a woman of many talents. Beyond her role as a mother, she was a skilled draftsperson and leadlighter, and Darcy believes she may have been the first female surveyor in Victoria. She faced significant challenges and pushback while building her dream home, with some workmen attempting to undermine her capabilities. However, she consistently proved her competence.

After the main construction of the stone house was completed, Maree meticulously focused on the interior, including glasswork, timber, and painting, maintaining a highly organized and tidy living space. Her marriage had ended approximately six years prior, and while finalizing the separation, she continued to work on the property. Darcy, who had moved out for university, maintained a base at the property in a shed.

Facing financial pressures, Maree began offering a spare room on Airbnb to help generate income from the land. Timothy Loosemore was among her initial guests, arriving in mid-March 2023. After a short stay, he returned seeking to extend his visit, offering to work in exchange for accommodation and food.

Darcy initially saw no cause for concern, as the family had often hosted helpers on their rural property. “When I was growing up, we had a lot of people coming and helping,” he explained. “It was not uncommon that we’d have people come and stay to help out, I wasn’t concerned. It was good to see that more could be done without stressing mum out because she was financially stressed.”

However, the dynamic between his mother and Loosemore evolved. Maree eventually confided in Darcy that they were “having a bit of a thing sometimes.” She was, however, clear about her boundaries, emphasizing her desire for independence after her previous marriage breakdown. Darcy perceived their relationship as casual, “a bit of a fling basically,” and not serious.

Despite this, Darcy sensed Loosemore’s underlying insecurities. “He was insecure in the ways that he would not take rejection well. He didn’t like to be told that he wasn’t needed,” Darcy observed. Tensions escalated when Maree indicated she no longer needed his help and urged him to leave. Loosemore reacted poorly to this rejection.

Darcy returned to the property to find Loosemore still present, which struck him as odd. “It felt like he’s lingering,” he said. “I trusted mum would be fine to deal with him, to send him on his way… I wish I did.” Loosemore had claimed to be on a cycling trip across Australia, initially with his son, but continued alone after returning to England. Darcy directly told Loosemore to “Get on your bike, mate,” urging him to continue his planned trip.

Loosemore managed to persuade Maree to let him stay longer, insisting he required nothing intimate. By late July and early August, Maree found it increasingly difficult to manage the situation. “She would feel pretty guilty trying to push him away, trying to reject him, trying to get him out of here,” Darcy recounted. “It was hard for her to properly just kick him out. She felt bad.”

Darcy admitted he could never have anticipated the tragic outcome. “I think all insecure men are capable of hurting people and it happens all too often,” he reflected. “This is another case of many cases where this happens where a seemingly normal, harmless guy acts out of insecurity and acts violent towards women. But you don’t expect it from someone who’s been coming to help out, who mum had been so, so generous to. I definitely didn’t expect that.”

The home Maree had lovingly built over decades, once a symbol of idyllic seclusion, became the site of a profound tragedy. Darcy endured two trials, watching the legal proceedings grapple with the distinction between murder and manslaughter. The final verdict, guilty of manslaughter, was a difficult blow for the family.

Loosemore has consistently denied any involvement in Maree Vermont’s death or the destruction of her home. However, a jury determined that he fatally assaulted Maree on the night of August 5, 2023, before setting the house ablaze. The intensity of the fire rendered forensic experts unable to definitively determine the exact cause of death.

The case presented significant challenges for two separate juries. The first jury deliberated for weeks in 2025 but could not reach a unanimous verdict. The second jury, in June of the current year, acquitted Loosemore of murder but convicted him of manslaughter by unlawful and dangerous act. Darcy struggles with this legal distinction, stating, “It was an unlawful, violent assault that killed her, and then burning of the house meant there was not enough evidence to suffice intent of murder. We have to accept what we can get.”

Following the verdict, Darcy described the outcome as “upsetting and distressing.” The subsequent sentencing in September, a 17-year term with a 13-year non-parole period, felt inadequate to him. “It definitely doesn’t represent what we’ve lost collectively… but it’s something,” he said.

Maree Vermont’s case received less public attention compared to other high-profile trials occurring concurrently. Darcy and his brothers felt their mother’s death was overshadowed, particularly by the widely publicized Erin Patterson mushroom-poisoning case. This, he believes, diverted resources and prosecutorial focus from their mother’s killing.

The court proceedings were a source of further trauma. Darcy testified about his mother’s casual relationship with Loosemore and the guest’s escalating insecurity and refusal to leave. The court heard that Maree had asked Darcy to monitor Loosemore due to his poor reaction to rejection. The defense highlighted that Darcy had left the property the day before the fire, a detail used to challenge the family’s narrative.

Sitting through the forensic evidence, including details of Maree’s severely burned body, the discovery of missing fuel containers Darcy had noticed, and scratches on Loosemore’s face suggesting a struggle, was an arduous experience. At the pre-sentence hearing, Maree’s sons shared their grief. Darcy told the court, “One of the big things mum always asked for was not to be cremated. Imagining her in the fire brings me so much more distress. Losing my mum in this horrific way has been the most heartbreaking, confusing… it has been the most life-changing thing that I could never have imagined.” He added outside court, “It’s a very hard day. But it’s bringing some sense of closure to be able to get up in court and have our voices heard.”

Police found traces of petrol throughout the stone house, and evidence indicated Loosemore’s involvement in the fire. Justice Andrew Tinney characterized the killing as a violent response to rejection, fueled by resentment and anger. For Darcy, the legal outcome does not equate to complete justice. While manslaughter acknowledges the unlawful killing, he feels it does not fully encompass the intent he believes was present, nor the deliberate destruction of the home that represented his mother’s life’s work and the family’s history.

The overshadowing by a more prominent case left their own feeling secondary and under-resourced in the public eye. The stone house is gone, and Maree Vermont is gone. The perpetrator will serve a significant prison sentence, but for her family, the verdict feels incomplete, delivered while the nation’s attention was elsewhere.