How double killer who shot his grandparents and set their home on fire was released unsupervised from mental health ward before embarking on a new drug-fuelled crime spree

A double killer who shot his grandparents and torched their home started terrorising strangers on a drug-fuelled crime spree after being released from a mental unit.

Ross Konidaris was let out of Melbourne-based secure psychiatric ward Thomas Embling Hospital in February 2019 - seven years after the cold-blooded pre-Christmas murders. 

The paranoid schizophrenic was on day release in September last year when he armed himself with a meat cleaver and a pair of scissors before trying to break into homes and cars while high on cocaine.

The 31-year-old's terrified aunt Toni and her daughter Celeste said they had no idea  he was still committing crimes and feared for their lives.

Ross Konidaris was let out of Melbourne-based secure psychiatric ward Thomas Embling Hospital in February 2019

'We only just found out just a week ago of what he's actually committed in the last year,' Toni told A Current Affair on Monday.

'I don't know whether he's still got a grudge and whether he'll come knocking on the door.'

Konidaris pleaded not guilty to the murders of his grandparents on mental health grounds and was ordered to be supervised for 25 years at a psychiatric facility in 2014.

He was granted permission to leave the mental facility on escorted outings in 2016, and was eventually allowed to roam the streets unsupervised in 2019.

Konidaris shot his grandfather Triantafillio, 81, and grandmother Stavroula, 84, with a 12-gauge shotgun as they lay in bed at their home in Yarraville, Melbourne

The 31-year-old's terrified aunt Toni and her daughter Celeste said they had no idea he was still committing crimes and fear for their lives

The killer was free to access the outside world on a daily basis, with permission to go fishing and work at a car wash and a fruit shop. 

During his crime spree in September 2019, Konidaris told staff he was going to see his parents and about be back by 9pm, 9 News reported.

Instead, he went to a home in Cairnlea, in Melbourne's north-west, where he threatened innocent homeowners with knives and demanded their car keys.

Konidaris pleaded guilty in the Victoria's County Court last month and said he was having delusions after taking cocaine that morning and was feeling down because he was overweight. 

Judge Frank Gucciardo asked why hospital staff didn't know he had relapsed.

'He doesn't tell them. They don't screen him. There's no system in place that allows for some control. It's a bit disturbing,' he said.

He will be sentenced on October 16. 

'To think Ross got away with it and that Ross is out living life and enjoying life,' Toni said

His devastated family said they have lost all faith in the judicial system. 

'To think Ross got away with it and that Ross is out living life and enjoying life,' Toni said. 

Celeste added: 'He has the privileges that you and I have – that we get to go outside, we get to go shopping, we get to see our family. This guy's killed two people.'

While Forensicare, the operators of Thomas Embling Hospital, told Daily Mail Australia Konidaris is now in custody and not allowed to leave following his guilty plea to crimes committed last year, the family say their safety was not considered. 

Forensicare extended its sympathies to the family and acknowledged the 'distress and heartbreak' caused as a result of the killer's actions.

A spokesperson said: 'Ross Konidaris is currently being held in custody in prison. No person held in custody in a Victorian prison can access leave.

'Thomas Embling Hospital provides care and treatment to people in the criminal justice system and supports them on a journey to recovery. Our passionate, highly skilled, multi-disciplinary teams provide treatment and comprehensive support that is evidence-based and tailored to rehabilitate those in our care.

'A consumer’s recovery journey is individual and often complex. We have great respect for the many consumers we have worked with who have overcome incredible barriers to achieve recovery.

'We remain committed to working collaboratively to ensure we keep our community safe. This includes working with victims of crime and the Office of the Victims of Crime Commissioner.'

Konidaris has pleaded guilty in Victoria's County Court to crimes committed in September 2019

Victoria's Victims of Crime Commissioner Fiona McCormack told the program the situation was 'alarming'.

'I would expect that victims' views and their needs and any issues of community safety are taken into account,' she said. 

'I think that it highlights a gap in the system.' 

Ms McCormack said she has written to the Victorian government proposing a review and legislation change. 

Konidaris shot his grandfather Triantafillio, 81, and grandmother Stavroula, 84, with a 12-gauge shotgun as they lay in bed at their home in Yarraville, Melbourne.

He was high on cocaine and methamphetamine at the time and was convinced he had to kill his grandparents to protect his own life.

After shooting them he poured petrol throughout the house and set it on fire.

Melbourne's Supreme Court found he was not fit to stand trial for the crimes because he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time.