True Crime with Kimbyr - Murder at Midnight: The Shocking Killing of Lily James at a Prestigious Australian School: Part 2

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

In Part 2 of True Crime with Kimbyr, Kimbyrleigha continues unraveling the haunting case of Lily James, the vibrant coach whose life was brutally cut short inside a prestigious Sydney school. As more details emerge, we learn about Lily’s relationship with fellow coach Paul Tyson—and the disturbing unraveling of their romance. What red flags were missed? What secrets did Paul keep? With Kimbyrleigha’s signature blend of empathy and investigation, True Crime with Kimbyr dives deeper into the emotional core of a murder that shocked Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The operator wanted the caller to remain on the line until police arrived at the scene. They also wanted to know how the caller knew about this body and where they were calling from, but they hung up the phone before answering those questions. While police didn't waste any time, they rushed to the scene where they followed the instructions and made their way to a staff bathroom inside the school's gym. When they went inside, they were confronted with a gruesome, bloody bathroom stall with a brutalized body of a young female lying on the floor. One of the responding officers said that it was the most violent crime scene he had ever been to.

It was clear that the woman sustained serious head injuries. She was badly beaten, so much so that she was unrecognizable. It was apparent that this was a homicide. Since it was so late at night, there were no other staff members or students that could be located to interview. However, homicide detectives and forensic crime scene units were sent out right away to collect evidence. Next, they wanted to retrieve the CCTV footage from the school's cameras so they could ascertain how this crime occurred and who was responsible.

In the meanwhile, the female's body was preliminarily identified as Lily James. And this was due to her car still being parked on campus, the missing persons report, the fact that she was due to be at campus on Wednesday evening, and she was a staff member found in a staff bathroom. And even though she was deemed unrecognizable, There were characteristics that corresponded to Lily's, the blonde hair, the slim build,

but they would have to confirm her identity through a family member. And I cannot imagine anything more horrific in a situation like this than having to go to the scene of a loved one's murder and identify their body. It was devastating to have to inform Lily's family about what the police found. They, of course, were shocked. And she was formally IDed by a family member. And considering the extent of her injuries, that would have been even more harrowing.

Lily's family asked for privacy as they grieve the profound loss of their daughter. When the news of Lily's murder broke the next morning, the police said that the victim was a woman in her early 20s and that her death was a result of a homicide. But they did not elaborate.

A woman's body has been discovered on the grounds of a school in Sydney CBD. Julia Bradley on the scene for the death being treated as suspicious, Julia. It is Pete. The woman is yet to be formally identified, but police are trading her death as suspicious. The Daily Telegraph is reporting that she was a female teacher

aged in her 20s, but that is yet to be officially confirmed by police. However, at approximately 4.30 a.m. on Thursday, October 26th, the school sent emails in a text to students' parents. They informed them that St. Andrews would be closed for the rest of the week because of a critical incident. By 6 a.m., another text was sent out announcing that no students were involved and there was no ongoing threat, but that it was a crime zone.

and they would need to await the approval of police before bringing anyone back on the site. The school brought on counselors to provide professional support to both students and their parents. Around 10.35 AM, Lily's body was removed from the scene and sent for an autopsy. Investigators had already started combing

through CCTV footage as early as 1 a.m. after Lily's body was found. They wanted to piece together the events that led to the killing. They also spoke to Lily's friends, students, and family members to get an understanding of who she was, and who could have wanted to harm her. That's when they were informed that Lily had been dating 24-year-old colleague Paul Tyson. Even though the relationship was a secret to their bosses,

there were close friends of the couple who knew they were together. So investigators wondered where Paul was. And could he be in danger or worse had he also been harmed? They were given information that Paul had been entrusted with the task of installing desks in the gymnasium on Wednesday evening to prepare for the 12th grade students to sit for their exams.

A close friend to Paul said it was also one of his roles to stay behind after hours to collect, catalog, and put away sports equipment after training, when the school's many teams, including Lily's water polo team, returned to campus after practice at different locations across the city. We know Lily was returning equipment that night. So had she been with Paul? Those who saw him that day said he was in a good mood, and there was nothing out of the ordinary that stood out to them.

But where was he now? A search was underway for Paul so they could see if he had any information about Lily, and her murder. I want to take you back to that emergency phone call that came in around midnight. It was traced, but they could only get a general location where the call was placed from. It was somewhere in Valclus. It was in close proximity to what is known as the Gap, but the call ended before the exact location could be pinpointed.

A police helicopter was deployed to search the coastal areas from above, and an APB was issued for Paul Tyson. The Gap, just so you're aware, is an Oceanside Cliff, and you know what it's close to? really beautiful scenic area that Paul and Lily visited just weeks before overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Yes, that's so odd. But what's even more concerning is that this particular area is widely known as a place for people to end their lives by jumping from such a high distance. These cliffs can be up to 300 feet high in some areas, and the plunge into the tumultuous waters below are very unforgiving. It's not what most people envision when they think of an urban

city of Sydney. There's a sense of isolation when standing on top of these cliffs. It's one of those places where you feel like you're on the edge of the world. And with this new information, investigators wondered, was the caller in danger? Or did they happen to live in one of the nice homes like Lily's friend Christina? Investigators were not sure. But as friends of Lily's began to get word of what happened to her, they started to come forward with more information. Remember how Lily and Paul were keeping their relationship in secret to their co-workers and bosses? Well, at least Lily was. But it was found out that in the past two weeks, Paul had boasted about his relationship with Lily

to a group of students. I'm not sure if Lily was aware of this, but it was not only a breach of her trust, but potentially it could jeopardize both of their careers. At first, the thrill of a secret romance was appealing to both Lily and Paul. But apparently, the excitement of a whirlwind romance wore off quickly, at least for Lily.

After just five weeks of dating, Lily decided that a shared love of sports, just wasn't enough to keep them together. They tried. But in the end, Paul wasn't the one for Lily. So she decided to let him know her feelings. When she broke up with Paul earlier that week, Lily assured him there wasn't anyone else, there was nothing wrong with him, she just didn't feel the same way about him, and she didn't see a future for them. Even though they weren't together anymore, they knew they still had to work together as members of the sports faculty. But Lily made it clear Their breakup wasn't going to affect their professional roles.

But Paul didn't feel the same way. He wanted to be with Lily, and it was clear he wasn't used to hearing the word no, and he wasn't used to not getting his way. He was humiliated by her rejection. He wasn't the type of person to be turned down, and it didn't seem like he was taking this very well. Now investigators wonder if he had a motive to hurt Lily. If you aren't aware of this, the most dangerous time for a woman is when they end a relationship. So investigators wondered if Paul had decided if he couldn't have Lily, then neither could anyone else. Lily's murder had occurred just a couple days after their breakup.

Investigators became aware that earlier that day on Wednesday, Paul had borrowed a 2003 silver Lexus sedan from one of his friends. And by 10 a.m. on Thursday, the police had identified more information about Paul, including his home address. They also reviewed CCTV footage from the the school parking lot, which gave them the license plate details of the silver Lexus that he'd been using that day. The footage gave them a more specific timeline of events. Paul and Lily arrived at the school at the prior evening, just a few minutes apart. They parked their cars in the staff parking lot and walked inside the school's gymnasium. So now investigators know they were together prior to the murder, and there was still a lot of CCTV footage to

comb through from the school's interior. As part of the investigation, Paul's rental, a cramped, semi-detached Holman Kensington was examined by forensic technicians. It was clear that he had left in a hurry. Photos that were taken from the inside of the bedroom showed a chaotic space with broken furniture, medication packets, and clothes all over the place. I actually found a couple of these pictures, and if you're watching, I'm going to be showing them on the screen. Specifically, there was bedding, clothing, and personal items piled high upon his bed. A golf club could be seen as well as a pile of pills, a broken cupboard,

half of a toilet paper roll and clothes thrown all over the floor. On top of the bed was also a rolled-up duvet cover, a green and yellow shirt by Dutch hockey label stag, packets of panadol, which is like Tylenol, neurofen, which is comparable to ibuprofen, and strepselis, which is a brand of cough drops, along with an electric shaver. The toilet paper and tissues were right near the medication,

which made it seem like Paul might have been suffering from a cold. There were a lot of personal items in storage trays, which included sunglasses, a sweatband, and a multitask tool, which is also known as a leatherman. It's a fold-up tool with things like tiny knives and scissors. As you can see, there's also an air freshener propped up above Paul's bed. His room also contained a flat screen TV, a white wardrobe with a broken door, and a yellow notebook that was wedged underneath a storage box. As CSI technicians examined the living room in the kitchen, those areas seemed a lot more tidy.

As they moved into the bedroom next to Paul's, whereas, male friend and roommate resided, that room was also more organized. When neighbors were interviewed, they said that the three housemates were courteous, but kept to themselves. But from the looks of Paul's room, it seemed as though he had gone on the run, either before or after Lily's murder or in the hour since. But nothing in the room indicated where Paul had disappeared to. The strongest lead the investigators had to go on was that Silver Lexus. Well, remember Lily's friend Christina. Well, of course, she too had gotten the awful news about her best friend. Christina described Lily as a sister and her everything,

saying, I love you more than anything in this entire world. We had so much planned together, so much to do, and so much to experience. You will forever be my angel above. Christina wanted to help in any way that she could. So when she heard through the media and investigators that the caller who reported Lily's body had called from around the location of Christina's home, She and her father began to scrub through their camera footage at their home, hoping it may have caught something of evidentiary value.

One of the cameras was positioned so that it captured the family's driveway, as well as the road right outside their home, Chris Bang Crest, in Valclus near Diamond Bay Reserve. Sure enough, as they scoured the footage, they saw a silver Lexus drive down the road in front of their home at 8.47 p.m. on Wednesday night, just hours before the call was made about Lily's body. This location is approximately seven miles from St. Andrew's school.

The camera captured a man dressed in black, driving the Lexus, and arriving on the street, then stopping at the end, parking the car and turning off the lights. It appeared as though the driver sat inside the vehicle until around 903 p.m. When there was movement outside the driver's side, which four Australian cars, is on the right. You can see this person if you're watching. Look closely and I will blow up this portion of the footage. Upon further examination, it looked like the person was going through the

the car and retrieving some items before closing the door and walking away from the car towards the sidewalk. As the footage keeps rolling, the person dressed in dark-colored clothing continues walking down the sidewalk in the direction of Christina's house. I'm going to circle them on the screen and play the video at a higher speed until they get closer to the camera and are easier to be seen. Here they are, casually walking past Christina's house and continuing down the sidewalk near the tree line. I'm going to take you to the road on Google Maps and the exact sidewalks. sidewalk where this is located. Here's that road and Christina's house is on the right. This sidewalk leads right to one of the boardwalks that overlooks the cliffs where Lillian James went three weeks prior. After about five minutes the cameras

capture the person walking back in the opposite direction at 9.12 p.m. This time, it appears as though they're looking at their phone. You can see it illuminated in their hand. They kept walking until they get back to the Lexus. Then they open the door and get inside. But they don't go anywhere until about 30 minutes later around 9.49 p.m. when the lights go back on and they pull away. Because of the Lexus, and knowing Paul had borrowed that exact same type of car the same day, investigators assumed this was Paul seen on these videos. With this lead, the investigators go to this location to see why Paul would have gone to that area to begin with, an area he had just become familiar with in the weeks

leading up to his ex-girlfriend's murder. When they retraced his steps, they realized he only went about 500 feet. And guess what was at the end of that sidewalk, just before the boardwalk? A trash bin. Recalled that it appeared that Paul retrieved something from the car, walked down to the end of the sidewalk, and then walked back, while investigators assumed he was most likely getting rid of evidence. And when they looked in that trash bin, they found a hammer inside. However, this hammer looked brand new, like it had never been used. It didn't have any blood on it or any evidence that it was involved in a gruesome kill. but it was still relevant to the case, so it was collected for analysis.

When Christina and her father were questioned about Lily and Paul's visit at their home three weeks earlier, they said that they seemed like any other young couple, and there were no signs of trouble in their relationship. Once the Lexus was identified from Christina's home video cameras, police helicopters were sent out to that location, and from overhead, they were able to identify a vehicle matching the description. It was parked right up the street. on the same road near the gap on Chris Bang Crest Street. Investigators then rushed to the site and the area was cordoned off while forensic technicians scoured this location to search for evidence.

They were looking for anything which could be connected with Lily's murder and also information that could lead them to finding Paul, since they knew he was driving that vehicle last. They were successful in the first count, but not on the second. In the area around the Lexus, police conducted a line search and discovered items that were believed to be related to Lily's murder. Now I was able to determine that this was the exact location that was searched by looking at pictures of the Lexus being towed away. Then I matched the house and the fence in the

background to this part on Google Maps. It's right here at the end of Christina Street, right past the bend. In this area close to the cliffside, they found bloody clothing, as well as a pair of Apple AirPods and a backpack containing personal items belonging to Paul. Each of the items was carefully photographed and collected in brown paper bags as evidence. But there was still no sign of Paul himself. However, there was a running theory. They thought that the clothing they found were Paul's, and he had been wearing them before he stripped them off his body and jumped off the side of the cliff to the jagged rocks below covered by the darkness of the night. After making that call to inform authorities about Lily's body. After several hours combing through the scene, investigators had that

Lexus towed away to the police impound. Meanwhile, a police Police helicopter was sent out and continued to make several coastal searches. They wanted to establish whether Paul had jumped from the cliff into the waters of the Pacific Ocean below. They also set up a police rescue tent nearby. After hours of flybys, the air search found nothing and was called off. Just before noon on Thursday, the police issued a statement, and they identified Paul Tyson as the man they wanted to talk to in relation to Lily's murder, and it was then revealed that Lily had ended the relationship a few days before she was killed.

Well, look, we're currently looking for a person, a male person, also in his early 20s, who we believe can assist us with this investigation. We also believe he is also employed by the school. At this point, people who had interacted or known Paul came forward with more information. One student reported that he had a wandering eye and a a flirtatious personality which unsettled young girls on the sports teams at St. Andrews. A second student said that he was a creep who was very flirtatious with the girls. And a third person said that Paul was upbeat on the day of Lily's brutal death. And that he was looking forward to coaching hockey the following day at St. Vincent's across the city.

But by now, the investigators had seen the interior CCTV footage from St. Andrews. At 7 p.m., Lily headed to the staff bathroom and right behind her, was Paul Tyson. He followed her inside. An hour later, he walked out of that bathroom alone, and Lily never reemerged. It's clear what happened in that hour. Paul had brutally beaten her to death. Police are tonight hunting for an employee at a Sydney private school suspected over the brutal murder of a colleague inside the CBD campus. 21-year-old Lily James was attacked at St. Andrews Cathedral school with officers fighting her body after she didn't return home. Her smiling face paints the picture of a happy, carefree young woman.

But Lily James' life has been cruelly cut short, ended in a brutal murder in a school bathroom. His weapon of choice was most likely a hammer, not just because of the damage that was inflicted upon Lily, and not even because of a hammer located in that trash bin near the gap, but because at 5 p.m. that evening, a second hammer was found concealed in Paul's personal items inside the Lexus, along with his cell phone, both of which were collected

for further analysis. It was clear from the blood on the hammer inside this car that it was the murder weapon used to kill Lily. Once Paul's phone was in the possession of investigators, they saw that he texted Lily on Wednesday, and he asked her if they could have a talk at the school that evening. She was going there anyway, so she agreed to me with him. Why? Well, maybe because she didn't think

think that Paul was capable of hurting her. Or she might have thought the school was a neutral territory where there were cameras and staff members around. So it would offer her some protection if things went south. Or maybe she didn't even consider the possibility that Paul might have sinister intentions. After all, they had only been dating for five weeks. And he had never indicated a tendency for violence as far as anyone close to him or Lily knew. But sadly, the school offered no protection for what Paul had in mind. It will never be known what Paul said to Lily when they met in that gymnasium.

Maybe he begged her to take him back or try to convince her that she made a mistake in dumping him. Maybe his words turned into threats or maybe he jumped straight into attacking her. It doesn't matter because an hour after Lily and Paul met in that gymnasium, Lily was dead.

Paul had beaten her to death with a hammer. Lily's murder was gruesome and violent, but Paul had no intention of stopping his cruelty right then. Instead, after he ended Lily's life, Paul used her cell phone to text her dad Jamie. In the message, Paul pretended to be Lily and told her dad that she was at St. Andrews and needed to be picked up. Now, this was a strange choice for a message because Lily had driven her own car to the school. What Paul couldn't have known at the time was that just before he sent that text to Jamie pretending to be Lily, Jamie had already contacted the police and reported her missing.

After sending the text message, Paul drove to the same place that he and Lily had their date three weeks before. Christina's family believes that that short visit to their home on the scenic bluff stuck with Paul and gave him the idea to return there after committing this horrific murder to spend his final hours and a place that he and Lily had happier times. He spent at least two hours parked there

before making the unemotional call to Triple Zero. No one knows what Paul did in those two hours between parking the car and making that phone call. Maybe he was contemplating what he had done. Maybe he was going to turn himself in, or praying for forgiveness. He was religious after all. But what investigators believed is that he was working up the nerve

to make that jump off the side of the cliff. While the search for Paul continued, Lilly's autopsy report came back. Even though it was obvious, it was now confirmed. Her death was a homicide. It also revealed that she had suffered more than 10 blows to the head with a blunt object consistent with the hammer. After the two hammers were found and examined, it was determined

that the weapon which was used to end Lily's life was the one Paul had left in the vehicle with his belongings. It was identified as the hammer that actually belonged to St. Andrew's School. Paul had been provided with this hammer along with other tools from the school's storeroom. He used them earlier that day to install desks in the gym for the senior exams. At this point, it appeared to be a crime of passion because usually, when a person uses a weapon that comes from the crime scene itself, it's impulsive. Well, that was the theory until investigators tracked even more of Paul's movements prior to him showing up at the gym that day.

Not only did he borrow someone else's car, presumably to flee the scene without being identified, he was also captured on CCTV footage on Wednesday morning at a hardware store purchasing the hammer that was later found in the trash bin. Yep. So this was premeditated. He took steps to plan to have a weapon, and a getaway car.