Surprising turn of events in the case of 7-Eleven customer who passed away after being ‘splashed with hot coffee’ in Caulfield

Two women, aged 51, have been charged in connection with an incident at a service station where a customer died after allegedly being attacked with scalding hot coffee and assaulted. However, it has been revealed that they will not be facing manslaughter charges.

Andrea Madigan and Sarah Franklin were set to appear in court for their involvement in the incident that took place on February 8 at a 7-Eleven service station in Caulfield, located in Melbourne’s south-east. They were initially charged with reckless conduct causing serious injury.

Reports from Daily Mail Australia have indicated that these charges were dismissed and finalized on May 5 of the previous year, with the possibility of Victoria Police escalating them to manslaughter charges.

The woman, whose identity remains unknown, had died two days after the shocking attack, which was captured on CCTV within the service station. 

Daily Mail Australia can now reveal forensics experts with Victoria Police were unable to determine how the woman died. 

The forensic investigation was finalised just last month – more than a year after the woman died.   

A police source said the woman’s body had been riddled with serious health complications, which more than likely caused her death. 

Madigan and Franklin are now both expected to be charged and prosecuted over their initial assault charges. 

Daily Mail Australia was told the victim had become abusive moments before she was allegedly doused in hot coffee and assaulted by Madigan and Franklin.  

‘She was being racist,’ a source told Daily Mail Australia at the time. 

Shop owners along Hawthorn Rd, where the 7-Eleven is positioned, claimed all three of the Caulfield women were well known to each other. 

One witness described the ‘assault’ alleged against Madigan and Franklin as more like a ‘scuffle’. 

Both of the alleged offenders had a clean criminal history until the deadly scuffle. 

They were charged by Victoria Police detectives that night and released on bail from the watch house despite the victim’s status being listed as critical.  

Those that claimed to know both of the accused described them as being ‘kind and courteous’. 

‘They’re nice. They’re polite. We see them all the time. They behave, they have nice manners,’ one woman said. 

Others expressed dismay at suggestions the alleged fight might have been sparked by racial slurs. 

Caulfield is known for its large Jewish community, representing about half of Melbourne’s Jewish population. 

‘I don’t think it (the alleged offence) had any connection to race or culture,’ a local shopkeeper said. 

Recklessly causing serious injury charges in Victoria carry a maximum jail sentence of 15 years compared to 20 years for manslaughter. 

Witnesses have told police a woman poured coffee over the victim and assaulted her before fleeing the scene on Hawthorn Road.