Lionel Ernst Bernard, 50, appears in court charged with murder of Felixstow woman
A man accused of murdering a woman at an Adelaide unit intends to contest the charge, while the autopsy hasn’t revealed how the woman died, a court has heard.
Police & Courts
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The cause of death for a 44-year-old woman allegedly murdered by an APY Lands man in November last year remains unclear, a court has heard – as her alleged murderer argues his innocence in court.
Lionel Bernard, 50, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday in front of Chief Magistrate Judge Mary-Louise Hribal – charged with one count each of murder and manslaughter.
Mr Bernard is yet to enter any pleas but the court heard he would contest the charges, with his counsel claiming the autopsy report revealed “no identifiable cause of death”.
“As a result of that, I understand that the director intends to speak to the expert, and have foreshadowed the potential for a further report,” they said.
“I have sought to understand what the Crown’s case against this man is and, incredibly, I’m not in a position to understand what the case is at this time.
“My client’s been in custody for approaching a year in circumstances where it’s my submission that this charge determination, without a cause of death, is problematic.”
Emergency services were called to a unit block in Felixstow at 1.30pm on November 15 after the body was found in one of the homes.
Detectives were seen removing what appeared to be an arm chair wrapped in paper from one of the units, while several other items were taken from the unit in evidence bags.
A week after the incident, APY Lands detectives arrested Mr Bernard in the state’s far north and charged him with murder.
On Tuesday, Chief Magistrate Hribal adjourned the matter to allow the prosecution to “narrow down some potential issues” with the forensic pathologist.
Mr Bernard was remanded in custody and will return to court next month.
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