34-Year-Old Man Found Fatally Stabbed; Authorities Seek Hooded Suspect

Police are urgently searching for a second suspect seen fleeing the scene of a fatal stabbing after a 34-year-old man, James Pakis, was found with multiple stab wounds during a welfare check at his home on Lakeba Street in Belmore.

Officers were alerted just before 9 p.m. on March 15 by a concerned friend of Pakis. A 24-year-old man at the house had discovered him and attempted to administer first aid before paramedics arrived.

Two days later, authorities arrested a 21-year-old man at the Bankstown Police Station. He has been charged with murder and is currently held without bail.

However, law enforcement is still pursuing another individual caught on nearby CCTV footage. This suspect, wearing all black with the hood up and carrying a blue bag, fled the area in a black Honda Jazz with a damaged rear window.

Detective Inspector Craig Brooks appealed to the public for help identifying the hooded figure or the getaway vehicle, stressing the severity of the crime and the family’s need for closure .

Pakis’s mother, Lena, has urged anyone with information to come forward, noting her son’s peaceful lifestyle and how devastated she is over the senseless loss.

“You have to be able to go out and not worry about if someone is going to stab you…” she said.

Bottom Line

James Pakis’s tragic death has rocked the Belmore community. One suspect is behind bars, but video evidence shows another person at the scene—now the subject of a public manhunt. Police urge anyone with information about the hooded man or the distinctive vehicle to contact Crime Stoppers or Campsie Police.