Three men charged after Airbnb guest found raped and murdered in their Melbourne home

Three men have been charged with murder after an Airbnb guest was allegedly raped and killed when he booked a room in the property they lived in.

Ramis Jonuzi was allegedly raped and murdered after booking a room at a $30-a-night (£17) East Brighton, Melbourne, home last week.

Jonuzi was found dead in the front garden of the property on Wednesday (25 October) after staying in the home for an unspecified amount of time.

Craig Levy, 36, Ryan Smart, 37, and Jason Colton, 41, were each charged with murder while Colton was also charged with using an object to rape Jonuzi.

The Australian daily newspaper, The Age, reported that the 36-year-old victim had only met the three men a week before he died when he decided to move into the accommodation.

It was reported that he wanted to cut short his stay because he didn't like the "energy" in the house, which was not accepting bookings until 12 November, on the listings website.

BBC News reported that he had allegedly packed his things and was intending to leave the home before he was attacked on the front lawn.

Paramedics arrived at the scene and could not revive him. They have since stated that Jonuzi, a bricklayer, died from a cardiac arrest.

A spokesman for Airbnb said they were "deeply saddened and outraged" by the tragedy.

"The family will have our full support and our hearts go out to them and all of his friends," the spokesman said. "We have removed this listing from our platform and will fully co-operate with law enforcement on their investigation.

"There is no place on Airbnb for such an abhorrent act, which violates everything our global community stands for."

The host listed on Airbnb was Levy, a chef, who is believed to have lived in the property since 2011.

The Guardian reported that the three men will return to court on 22 March.