For much of his adult life, Joshua Dylan Trethewey minded his own business and rarely mixed with people outside his family and colleagues. During lunch, the 34-year-old ate alone, preferring his own company to that of his workmates. In his spare time, Trethewey would drive the back roads of NSW’s Northern Tablelands, passing through the villages and settlements around his hometown of Deepwater.
On Wednesday night, though, something seemed to change in Trethewey. He allegedly drove a familiar route along Torrington Road to the home of Keith and Diane Blessing, about 25 kilometres north-west of Deepwater. The Blessings, a couple enjoying their golden years on a sprawling bush block surrounded by native scrubland and wildlife, had had few, if any, interactions with Trethewey until that night. As far as anyone can tell, Trethewey and the Blessings were strangers to one another.
Police say that just after midnight, Trethewey parked his car at the end of the Blessings’ driveway, next to a swagman sculpture and a letterbox where Di Blessing often left excess fruit from their prosperous apple and pear trees for neighbours and passersby, and walked towards their home. There, he allegedly forced his way into the home and attacked the couple, stabbing Di, 72, in the chest, and slashing Keith, 75, across the stomach.
