His Airbnb hosts made him uneasy, so he tried to leave. But he didn’t make it far, police say
The room cost just $30 a night.
But negative reviews of the Melbourne, Australia residence on the global room-renting service Airbnb’s website — describing unsafe or uncomfortable living conditions — suggested that even $30 may have been too much to pay for the accommodations.
And now Australia police say that a man who stayed there last week paid with his life.
Ramis Jonuzi of Melbourne was attacked and killed in the front yard of the Airbnb on Oct. 25, according to The Guardian — just as the 36-year-old was packing up and trying to leave the house because, as he told his friend, he was feeling uneasy there. Jonuzi had allegedly argued with his three hosts about money, BBC reported, and then they allegedly attacked him as he tried to leave.
Craig Levy, 36, Ryan Smart, 37, and Jason Colton, 41, who Jonuzi had been staying with through Airbnb, all face murder charges in Jonuzi’s death. Colton faces an additional charge for allegedly raping Jonuzi with an object, the Guardian reports.
When police found him last week at the Airbnb, Jonuzi was in cardiac arrest on the lawn, according to SBS TV. Paramedics were unable to save him and he died at the hospital, but authorities have not yet released an official cause of death.
Airbnb, which CNBC reports is worth $31 billion, has faced criticism around the world over safety and privacy concerns. In July, a New Mexico woman filed a lawsuit alleging Airbnb was negligent in letting a man she alleges sexually assaulted her host Airbnb guests, the Guardian reported. And earlier in October, a couple staying at an Airbnb in Florida allegedly found a hidden camera in their rented bedroom, the Bradenton Herald reported.
Airbnb told Vice News that the Melbourne residence’s listing on the service has been taken down, and said that the company is cooperating with law enforcement investigating the alleged crime.
“The family will have our full support and our hearts go out to them and all of his friends,” an Airbnb spokesperson told Vice. “There is no place on Airbnb for such an abhorrent act, which violates everything our global community stands for.”
Old reviews suggest there was cause for concern.
One woman wrote that she felt unsafe there and chose to leave early, according to the Age, an Australian newspaper. Another guest said his property was stolen. Yet another described the house as too cold, too insecure and plagued with plumbing issues.
“Better way to spend a night, buy a $50 hammer smash your hand with it and go to the emergency hospital,” one Airbnb guest wrote in a review, The Age reports.
The three men accused of killing Jonuzi remain in custody, Vice reports, and will next appear in court in March.
Jonuzi, a bricklayer, had been staying at the Airbnb while working through “personal issues,” the Age reports.
Friends and loved ones took to Jonuzi’s Facebook profile to express their sadness at his death.
“I can't believe that you are gone but I only hope you are at peace and in a better place,” one friend wrote. “So many tears have been shed for the pain and sorrow that you are so longer with us.”
Airbnb screens all of its guests and hosts, the company says, as McClatchy reported in September when a Minnesota Airbnb guest was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing his host family’s 7-year-old daughter.
This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 1:31 PM with the headline "His Airbnb hosts made him uneasy, so he tried to leave. But he didn’t make it far, police say."