A businesswoman has apologised for suggesting a ‘sugar addiction’ was the cause of the alleged stabbing of a beloved grocer.
Linord Feick, 71, was allegedly stabbed to death after confronting a shoplifter at his Darwin store at about 5.15pm last Wednesday.
Cullen Bay Day Spa owner Marii Oblescuk recorded a video of herself outside of the Nightcliff Friendly Grocery shortly after the alleged murder.
In the clip, Ms Oblescuk said the accused allegedly committed the act because he ‘was addicted to sugar’.
She said she wanted to ‘raise awareness’ about sugar being a ‘toxin’.
She shared the video from her day spa’s Facebook page less than 24 hours after Mr Feick’s passing, drawing criticism from local residents.
Police charged 18-year-old Phillip Randel Maurice Parry with murder on Thursday night over the alleged stabbing. They allege the youth was stealing from the store before Mr Feick confronted him.
Ms Oblescuk’s video appeared to come in response to local speculation Parry had allegedly tried to steal a soft drink.
Cullen Bay Day Spa owner Marii Oblescuk has apologised for saying a beloved grocer was allegedly stabbed due to the accused’s ‘sugar addiction’
Linford Feick, 71, was allegedly stabbed to death after confronting a shoplifter last week
Ms Oblescuk said sugar was a ‘toxin’ and it had similar impacts on the brain to ‘video games’.
The now-deleted video amassed more than 35,000 views and was reshared across multiple Darwin social pages.
Residents slammed Ms Oblescuk’s comments and said the video was ‘poorly timed’, ‘disrespectful’ with some calling for ‘boycotts’.
Ms Oblescuk told Daily Mail Australia she didn’t understand why Territorians had focussed on her comments in the wake of the death.
‘I’m not the judge and I’m not the killer and I’m not lawyer, we’re just trying to make sure people understand how toxic our society is becoming,’ she said.
‘We’re all in this together, so why are you hating me?’
Ms Oblescuk said she obtained a Bachelor of Law and Commerce in Melbourne, before deciding she needed to ‘help people in other ways’ outside of legal avenues.
‘I’m a wellness coach and a healer and I’m trying to rebuild the territory,’ she said.
‘Offenders are just not eating healthy, they’ve got no nutrition in their mind and body,’ Ms Oblescuk said
The Darwin local said she was trying to ‘heal’ the community with the video that proved divisive
‘Offenders are just not eating healthy, they’ve got no nutrition in their mind and body.’
She wrote to Chief Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and several other politicians to tell them addressing poor nutrition would help them achieve their goals of reducing crime and improving medical care.
Ms Oblescuk posted her apology video on Saturday.
‘From the bottom of my heart, I did not mean to disrespect anyone,’ she said.
She said the legal system was ‘letting us down’.
Ms Oblescuk asked for forgiveness so the community could move on while explaining she was going through menopause and ‘could go through brain fog a few time’.
‘I’ve been here 17 years nearly 18 trying to help people … its not just about my customers that come to me here at the Cullen Bay Day Spa, but it’s also about the community,’ she said.
‘My natural talents are educating and healing, helping people be the best versions of themselves and to get through traumatic experiences that actually make you feel depressed.
Mourners gathered for a vigil in Nightcliff last week, following Mr Feick’s death
‘That’s what trauma can do because trauma makes people feel shame, and they’re not feeling their best, they will just behave in a, what we call a low vibrational frequency, and that low vibrational frequency is not serving yourself or others.’
She ended the six-minute video empathising with Mr Feick’s family.
Ms Oblescuk previously divided locals when she joined a Supreme Court challenge to the NT Government’s vaccine mandates as a plaintiff.
Detectives alleged Parry attacked Mr Feick with an edged weapon last Wednesday.
Customers administered first aid and notified emergency workers, but Mr Feick died at the scene.
Parry attended Darwin Local Court on Monday on murder charges, as well as charges of theft and trespass.
Parry had been on bail for for ‘serious matters’, at the time of the alleged stabbing.
He stood in the dock, barefoot and in plain shorts and a T-shirt, according to the ABC, before he was remanded in custody.
He will return to court on June 25.
