Why the three people who watched 'Lizard Man' murder Shelsea Schilling won't be charged.

CONTENT WARNING: This post deals with matters of domestic violence, and may be triggering for some readers.

The three witnesses who watched ‘Lizard Man’ strangle his ex-girlfriend to death before killing himself will not be charged by police.

A coronial inquiry has been launched into the murder-suicide which saw Bronson Ellery bash and strangle Shelsea Schilling to death, before changing into a suit, lying down next to her lifeless body, and taking a lethal overdose of drugs.

On November 18 of last year, after Schilling tried to leave his apartment, Ellery bashed her head against his apartment tiles then pushed her head into a pillow, suffocating her.

One of the witnesses, a woman who was a mutual friend of both Schilling and Ellery, came forward to police five days after the bodies were found in the Johnston Street unit and gave a detailed account of the killing.

But the woman and two other witnessed will not be charged, as Queensland does not have a bystander responsibility law, which means the people who witnessed the crime will escape prosecution.

When a state or territory has a bystander responsibility law, like in Western Australia for example, a person who fails to rescue someone in need of help can face a maximum prison term of seven years.

However, the legal loophole in Queensland could soon be closed. Opposition prevention of domestic violence spokeswoman Ros Bates has sponsored a petition to State Parliament calling for penalties to witnesses who fail to report serious crimes.

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— Solitary Son (@Solitary_Son) November 3, 2015

Bates told the Gold Coast Bulletin that “several brave mothers” who lost their daughters supported the petition.

“What we are hoping is this petition will become part of a suite of strong measures to support the innocent based on the laws in the Northern Territory. If we had this in place their daughters may well still be here,” she said.

Schilling’s mother, Bonnie Mobbs, has spoken out in support of the petition.

“I feel very strongly about it, myself. I don’t understand why we don’t have these laws in the first place,” she told the publication.

“It’s not to say that I want people to stop and get themselves involved. Just pick up the phone to ring police and an ambulance to assist.”

If you or a loved one is suffering at the hands of your partner, Mamamia urges you to contact 1800 RESPECT.