Roderick Palmer charged over alleged Palmerston domestic violence murder of 31-year-old woman

A Territory man who allegedly killed his partner and left her unconscious body outside a Palmerston home has faced a local court judge. Read the latest here.

NT Police set up a crime scene on Waterhouse Crescent, Driver.

A Territory man who allegedly killed his partner and left her unconscious body outside a Palmerston home has faced a local court judge.

Roderick Palmer appeared before Darwin Local Court judge Stephen Geary on Friday facing a single charge of murder.

The 32-year-old man made no application for bail and was remanded into custody until his next appearance date on November 26.

Mr Palmer was arrested on Tuesday evening after his partner was discovered unresponsive in the front yard of a Driver home at 10.30pm.

NT Police said the couple were guests at the Waterhouse Crescent home when they became intoxicated and started arguing before the alleged fatal assault.

The 31-year-old Aboriginal woman was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital, but died two hours later.

A 31-year-old woman has died and her partner is in custody after police were called to a home in Waterhouse Crescent, Driver, Northern Territory on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Photo: Matt Cunningham

Neighbours shared their shock and grief over the woman’s death, with Driver resident Ava Boja telling the NT News: “I don’t know too much about the family but they do have a lot of kids and there is laughter coming from that house and we do think that the family was trying”.

Another nearby resident said they could not believe it when they woke to the heartbreaking news.

“It’s sad to hear things like that going on but it’s becoming quite common,” they said.

The 31-year-old Aboriginal woman is the sixth Territorian whose death has been investigated as a domestic violence killing.

Since 2000 the NT has lost more than 87 women to domestic violence — 94 per cent of whom were Aboriginal.

In the wake of her suspected murder, the Top End Women’s Legal Service called for all levels of government to commit to meaningful responses to address the “epidemic” of abuse in the Territory.

“We are heartbroken to learn of yet another life taken,” TEWLS said.

“We ask again, how many more lives will it take?”

Originally published as Roderick Palmer charged over alleged Palmerston domestic violence murder of 31-year-old woman