True Crime with Kimbyr - Murder at Midnight: The Shocking Killing of Lily James at a Prestigious Australian School

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

Just before midnight in Sydney, a chilling 911 call led police to a bloody crime scene—and the discovery of Lily James’s lifeless body. In this episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha dives deep into the tragic story of Lily, a beloved 21-year-old coach and student whose life was filled with promise and passion. Who killed her—and why—inside one of Australia’s most elite schools? Blending detailed research with compassion, Kimbyrleigha unravels Lily’s story and the events leading to her horrific death. This is True Crime with Kimbyr—where the truth is heartbreaking and the questions demand answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just before midnight, on the 25th of October in 2023, emergency operators in Sydney, Australia received a disturbing phone call. Before hanging up, the caller told them it would find a dead body in a bathroom at a prestigious private school in the area. Minutes later, officers arrived to find a bloody crime scene and a killer on the loose. Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel. My name is Kimberlya, and if you've never been here before, it's nice to finally meet you. I stumbled upon this case recently in my search to expand into international cases and I was left wanting to know so much more. So I made it my mission to try to find out as much as I could about what happened. First, I'd like to introduce you to Lily James. She was born

on May 21st of 2002 to her parents' mother Pita and her father Jamie in San Suzy, which is in New South Wales, Australia. Lily was an adorable little girl with striking big, blue eyes, shiny straight golden blonde hair with a younger brother Max, the pair grew up together sharing a very close bond with their parents who I can tell you, we're very proud of both of their children. And whenever they were not working, Pita and Jamie would take Max and Lily on memorable, relaxing and fun-filled vacations. The James family took vacations to all kinds of places, Hawaii and Florida to visit Disney World, as well as Universal Studios, NASA, Miami, Dallas, Texas, to see the JFK Museum, San Francisco to watch a baseball game at the AT&T Park.

They also visited Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman's Wharf while they were there. And they went to so many other fun places. Pita would post all of their vacation photos to her Facebook profile, showcasing the fun times and memories that they were creating so they could share the joy with all their closest friends and family. PETA also enjoyed sharing her children's accomplishments. Most of them were related to sports because even as a toddler, Lily loved watching sports and when she was old enough to take part in them,

Lily's parents enrolled her in swimming classes and competitive dance. Lily took drama and dance class under the direction of dance teacher Alyssa Minera at Blake Hurst Academy of Dance and Drama in 2006 when Lily was only four years old. It wasn't long before her coaches realized that Lily had what it took to be an accomplished athlete. But as she grew up, especially in a generation that had a lot more technology than the ones before hers, Lily also liked being a typical teenager, which meant posting on her own Facebook profile. She shared pictures of her standing in a dancer's pose in her room with her name and her favorite color, purple, affixed to her purple wall behind her. Whether it was a selfie smiling at the camera, showing off a new hairstyle, being silly and making funny faces, being cute, or having fun in the sun, Lily would share.

And like most teens, she liked One Direction, playing Farmville, and going on holiday to Coffs Harbor. It's known for its beaches and the Big Banana Monument at Amusement Park, where she actually ended up meeting a future schoolmate, Hosanna Athes. They were both there on vacation as very young girls, and after having a great time together, they coincidentally began going to the same school the following year.

Dane Big School for Girls, and they ran into each other there. They knew each other throughout the rest of their schooling, and they worked alongside one another on house festival events. Hosanna knew Lily as a bright, joyful, vibrant young girl. That's how many people describe Lily. And while attending the all-girls school, Lily excelled academically and in the various sports teams that she was a member of, including swimming,

and then she began playing water polo. Dane Bank is a prestigious private institution, where parents must submit an application for their child to attend, and then they're put on a waiting list, and then the girls go through an interview process, and after all that, if it goes well, they're offered a place at the school. It's about $30,000 to $40,000 a year for students to attend.

However, they do offer scholarships for sports, among other things. They have an entire state-of-the-art indoor aquatic center where Lily would practice swimming year-round, and eventually she began entering competitions for swimming as well as dance. And Pita shared a picture of Lily with her second place medal. For the I Stedfad Ballet Dance Competition, she recited a monologue from Macbeth. And this was just a couple months after her 16th birthday. Lily wrote the following on the school's website alongside a video of her performance. She said, quote, I love creating pieces through physicality, and I like how it conveys a character's journey

through movement, rather than just speaking and relying on the dialogue and expression alone. I feel that Lady Macbeth reflects my dramatic side as well. It matches my personality and my style, end quote. She was so well-spoken for a teenager. And Lily had just reached another major milestone a couple months before this, when she passed her L test, a learner's driver's test, so she could get her learner's permit. And of course, an overjoyed Pita shared this to her Facebook,

saying that Lily passed her L test, let the fun begin with an emoji that looked in distress, and I'm sure a lot of parents can relate. It's a bittersweet moment when teenagers begin to drive. We're happy that they're becoming independent, but we also worry about their safety. When Lily turned 16 in May, PETA had shared a number of photos of her from over the years,

With the caption that said, Happy 16th birthday, Lily, I hope the next 16 years are as eventful as the first 16 years. And it makes me sad knowing what I know is going to happen. That same year in the fall, Lily's father, Jamie, began coaching Lily's water polo team. He didn't even have any prior experience, and Pida joked that it might be his first and last time

volunteering to take on this task. He didn't even know the rules, but he loved his daughter, and he knew how dedicated she was to the sport. And that's all that mattered. You could tell how much Lily's mom and dad loved her so much. Pita shared lovely pictures of Lily dressed up for her 10th grade formal dance. She looked stunning. Her makeup was done.

She was wearing a black dress, heels, jewelry, and a beige clutch. She looked all grown up because she was. Yet as busy as she became, Lily always made time for her family and supported her brother Max in all of his activities as well. She would also accompany them on their annual holidays together. Things were going well, which is evident by all the pictures they took smiling as a happy family. The following year, Pita posted congratulations to Lily for being an under 17 swimming champion,

and many friends commented expressing their pride about Lily's latest accomplishment. But it wouldn't be long before Lily was an official adult, and as popular as she was with her friend group, it got bigger and bigger, and expanded beyond her school. The legal drinking age is 18 in Australia, so Lily began dressing up, going out, and enjoying herself with friends, having some drinks, dancing. She loved to dance and was outgoing and fun. After graduating high school at Dane Bank in 2020,

Lily enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in sports business at the University of Technology in Sydney. It was clear. She wanted to make sports her career, and there was every indication that she would have been very successful. Lily still lived at home with her parents at their home in Cogara Bay in the south of Sydney. Though it was a 35-minute drive away from her campus,

It was better than spending her own money for her own place at the time. And to help pay the bills, Lily got a part-time job as a water polo coach and swimming coach at St. Andrews Cathedral School, which is about a six-minute drive from her college campus. St. Andrews is an elite, private, prestigious co-ed primary and secondary day school from kindergarten to 12th grade. Students can choose from over 20 different sports and activities ranging from rugby, netball, football, hockey, to fencing, cross-country running, chess, and ping pong. And in the summer, students compete in swimming, basketball, softball, water polo, and cricket

in the ISA competition, which is exactly why it was a perfect fit for Lily's first job out of high school. Lily was a great coach because one, she herself was a champion swimmer and had a lot of experience in water polo, but two, because of who Lily was as a person. She was the type of coach who went out of her way to make sure that every single player on the team knew they were special and knew what their individual talents were.

She would take the time to speak to each of them and make sure they knew how important they were to the team. The student she coach said that she could turn a training session full of hard work, sweat and frowns, into smiles and a lot of laughs. They would say that Lily was not just a coach. She was a sister, a friend, and an inspiration. The younger girls looked up to her, and she would transform every training session

into a remarkable journey of joy and growth, adding new fun ways to learn skills. Parents also love Lily. They thought she was a great representative for the school because she was kind, encouraging, and fun. She was known for turning the bus rides to and from competitions and events for water polo into enjoyable and inclusive experiences for everyone.

She was dedicated to fostering a warm and inviting atmosphere, and that made every journey memorable. She was truly a remarkable young woman. Because she was so enthusiastic for water polo, it would ignite a fire in others, and there were girls that credited Lily as the key reason for their love of water polo because Lily was such an amazing water polo coach.

She was always incredibly positive and supportive of everyone. She made a significant impact not just when it came to sports, but on the students' lives because of how encouraging and kind she really was. She loved to teach and she loved helping others. There were girls and boys at St. Andrews that went so far as to say that they were privileged to have a coach like Lily. She was struggling a lot of things, college life, studying, coaching two sports, spending time with family, and even joining a competitive water

polo team herself. She had joined as a member of the South Wales Ball Main Water Polo Club, but she still found time for herself, for her friends, and even for a little romance. While coaching at St. Andrews, 21-year-old Lily met a colleague who was also a coach for the school, and they hit it off. 24-year-old Paul Tyson, a St. Andrews alumni that graduated in 2017, went on to become an assistant sports coach. By the fall of 2023, Lily and Paul became more than just friends and colleagues. They started dating, and it seemed to be the perfect match.

So let me tell you a little more about Paul, and I think you'll know why. Paul Tyson was Dutch. He was born in the Netherlands in 1999, and he was the only child to his mother Esther and father's step. Paul was an easygoing child who loved watching and playing sports. Both of his parents were successful Globe Triumph, running business executives who traveled frequently between their home in the Netherlands and Australia. From the very beginning, Paul had a privileged lifestyle. His father, Steph worked for Vanderland.

This is a manufacturing company that supplies things like conveyor belts, among other things, for airports, warehousing, and even the parcel distribution industry. As of 2015, more than 600 airports in the world use Vanderland's baggage handling systems, including 17 of the 25 largest airports. Steph Tyson was an industrial engineer with decades of experience handling large-scale projects and had extensive international business experience within Europe, the US, Taiwan, and Sydney, Australia, which is how his son Paul ended up living there. Paul's high-flying corporate parents would often take him with them on their business trips, but in 2014, Steph took a new position as a project director of Vanderland in Sydney

and his family relocated to Australia in 2015, where Paul completed his last three years of high school, at the prestigious St. Andrews Cathedral for 10 through 12th grades. As a student, Paul excelled at all things related to sports. Just like Lily, he grew up watching and playing a number of sports, including hockey and cricket. Paul actually became the captain of the hockey team at St. Andrews, and as a senior, he was the school prefect. This is a student who's authorized to enforce disciplinary actions upon other students. From day one at the school, Paul was popular, especially with the girls.

He was tall, athletic, with light brown hair and blue eyes and a bright white smile. And he cleaned up well too. When celebrating team wins or professional events, he looked handsome in a full suit and bow tie. Paul's parents remained living in Australia while Paul was in high school. And just like Lily's mom Pita, Paul's mom Esther would share photos of Paul as he excelled in school, took on leadership roles, or attended Mass at St. Andrews. She was very proud of him. But by 2018, Paul's parents were set to move back to the Netherland.

However, Paul wasn't ready to leave just yet. One reason everyone at St. Andrews knew who Paul was is because he landed a much sought-after job, which is called Year 13. And that's because it's after year 12 in high school. It's a paid role that's given to a graduating student where they actually work in the school sports department after completing their HSC exams.

This stands for the Higher School Certificate. It's the credential awarded to a secondary school student who successfully completes their senior high school level studies. When he was in this role, Paul taught every sports class because he was the official designated sports teacher, and they covered teaching the whole school and at a school like St. Andrews, it was quite an honor. This school, like the one that Lilly attended,

is upward of $35,000 a year to attend, and it strives to maintain its reputation as an upmarket institution for affluent families. Paul also joined the University of New South Wales premier men's hockey team, the Whaley's, at skill level three in 2020. He was a regular first-team player, which meant he was in the starting lineup, and he also was featured in promotions for the team's games. But as many of us remember, 2020 was a very unusual year because of the pandemic. So Paul was isolated like many of us for at least 18 months. He was unable to play sports, work, or even

socialize, and he was left alone while his parents were back in the Netherlands. But of course, once things got back up and running again, Paul dated, he hung out with friends, he worked as a coach, and got back to being as normal as he could at the time. After completing his year 13 role, Paul flew home to the Netherlands and went back to live with his parents, then he took some college classes for about a year before deciding that he wanted to go back to the land he grew to love so much, Sydney, Australia. He had his mind made up. He wanted to take on a full-time role coaching hockey at St. Andrews, and that is what he did. along with some additional coaching at St. Vincent's College in Potts Point.

In December of 2021, Paul applied and was granted a working holiday visa. Then he enrolled in a master's of teaching in order to become a qualified physical education teacher. By August of 2023, Paul made his home in Australia more permanent. He moved in with his friend, a sports physiology student and fellow hockey player, and a third roommate who was a female. They lived at a home in Kensington and Sydney's Eastside. Paul was undoubtedly hardworking, talented, and dedicated to work in his studies, just like Lily. So now you can see why they had so much in common and hit it off.

They bonded over a shared love of sports and staying active. But because they were colleagues, they weren't allowed to date. If they wanted to make the relationship public, they would be required to disclose all this information to their bosses. And it seemed like a bit embarrassing to tell everyone about their feelings when everything was so new. and they were just starting to explore it for themselves. So they decided to keep the relationship a secret to start with. They agreed that if and when it got more serious,

they would tell their colleagues and their bosses to avoid getting in trouble and losing their jobs. They got together around September 9th, 2023. This was around the same time that Paul's hockey team lost their Sydney League grand final, so maybe lessened the blow a bit to have a new romance on the horizon. At first, the thrill of a secret relationship was very appealing. There's nothing like the feeling of knowing something that others don't know, especially during the early stages of a romance,

and the two of them were having a great time together. And it wasn't a secret to everyone. As a matter of fact, just two weeks into dating, Lily introduced Paul to her longtime best friend Christina Avaramis. Christina lived with her parents in a cliffside home in a very affluent part of Sydney called Valclus, and this is above the Diamond Bay Reserve. This area has incredible multi-million dollar houses and a panoramic view over the Pacific Ocean.

The couple was actually on their way to enjoy a nice stroll along the water at the Diamond Bay Reserve. Now this is a very popular attraction. It has a boardwalk with a cliff top walk that has a beautiful view of the coastline. It can be a very romantic outing. Before heading out, they stopped by Christina's to catch up. And for Lily to of course introduce her to Paul. They only spent about 10 minutes at her place before making their way to the reserve. No one could have known at that time that in just three weeks, tragedy would strike. Now let's jump to the week of October 23rd. The school's international baccalaureate students, I learned how to say it, I think, from the last video. They had just started their finals, and year 12 students were getting ready to sit for their HSC exams.

It was a busy week. Lily and Paul both had a lot of tasks to take care of at St. Andrews for their respective jobs. On Wednesday, October 25th, Lily had a coaching session with students, and that, and then she needed to return some sports equipment to the gymnasium. She left her family's home and arrived at school and was expected to be back a little bit after 7.30 p.m. Her parents were expecting her that evening. But as time passed, they began to get worried, especially when she wasn't answering their calls or their text messages. By 11 p.m., Lily's father, Jamie, was more than just concerned. He was convinced that something bad had happened to his daughter.

It wasn't like her not to check in if she wasn't coming home. and the task that she had to do that evening shouldn't have taken more than a couple hours. So he reached out to the local police station to report that Lily hadn't made it home, and he wanted to report her missing. But just an hour later, right before midnight, police get a chilling phone call. The caller, in an unemotional voice, says that he wanted to report a dead female at St. Andrew's school, which needed to be investigated. The operator's report gave very specific instructions to the responding officers.

It stated that an informant said, there's a body in a bathroom on the right-hand side in the reception area, through reception and to the left. The informant also said he was there a couple hours ago and it was a female's body. Wow. That's horrifying, but also confusing because who was this caller? Was it a scared witness, someone that was involved,

or was it the killer themselves?