Kilburn man charged with murder of Matthew Scott Bristow at Prospect
A 29-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Matthew Scott Bristow, whose body was found on a Prospect footpath – and he was not one of two people charged with stealing the victim’s car.
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Major Crime detectives have charged a man with the murder of Matthew Scott Bristow, whose body was found on a Prospect footpath.
The 29-year-old Kilburn man was arrested Tuesday night and is expected to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The charge came hours after a man and woman were arrested for allegedly stealing Mr Bristow’s car.
The 43-year-old from Bedford Park was discovered lying unconscious by a member of the public on Alabama Ave about 5.45am on Tuesday.
Police and SA Ambulance paramedics rushed to the scene, where Mr Bristow was found with a “puncture wound” to his chest, but were unable to revive him.
Major Crime detectives later revealed Mr Bristow’s car – a grey 2006 Ford XR6 Falcon with SA registration S842AJZ – was believed to have been stolen shortly before he was found.
The car was found abandoned on Robe St at Kidman Park, about 10km from the crime scene, about 1.20pm on Tuesday. Members of the public reported the car being driven erratically.
Police found the man and woman nearby and arrested them.
The 40-year-old man, of Mansfield Park, has been charged with illegal use of a car, petrol theft and refusing to give his details.
He was refused bail and will appear at Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The pair is assisting detectives with the murder investigation.
Major Crime Investigation Branch acting detective Superintendent Billy Thompson said Mr Bristow was found with a “puncture wound” to his chest.
“We are still searching the area and we have not located a weapon at this stage,” Supt Thompson said.
He said he believed Mr Bristow was assaulted on the western side of Alabama Ave close to Hillsdale St.
Mr Bristow is then said to have “staggered” up the street before collapsing and dying just off Prospect Rd. He was found by a passer-by just minutes after the assault happened.
Supt Thompson said officers are reviewing CCTV footage and continue to examine the scene and speak with neighbours.
Forensic investigators could be seen gathering evidence near Hillsdale St, about 200m away from where the body was found.
Police also used a sniffer dog and a drone to search the area.
“We appeal to any members of the public who were in the area at the time … from midnight last night through to about 7am this morning … to contact Crime Stoppers,” Detective Thompson said.
Prospect Rd was closed to traffic as police searched for evidence the man’s death but is now open.
Local resident Elliot Cragg saw the body while on his morning jog.
Officers have now blocked off a small section of Prospect Rd - between Livingstone Ave and Murray St @theTiser pic.twitter.com/2pOiAsJnl6
— Gabriel Polychronis (@G_Polychronis) February 3, 2020
Mr Cragg started his run on nearby Galway St in Kilburn about 6am before he turned on to Alabama Ave and saw a long trail of blood.
“(The blood) was a good couple of feet from the body … the blood has obviously gone down the embankment there, so a bit of a disturbing scene unfortunately,” he said.
“At that point I think he was pronounced dead … I literally walked right past it on the opposite side of the road.”
Mr Cragg, originally from London, moved to Adelaide recently for a working holiday.
“When I moved to Australia obviously I didn’t think that the situation would be happening on my doorstep.”
The owner of local Vietnamese takeaway shop Lemongrass said the incident was “very concerning”.
“My shop today looks like it has no business,” she said. “This is very random, we’ve never had anything serious like this happen before. I was shocked when I came here (this morning).”
Anyone who may have seen Mr Bristow’s car between 5.45am and 1.20pm on Tuesday should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.