Andrew Mario Mungatopi appears in Darwin court charged with murder of 37-year-old relative

The man accused of murdering his relative in a Malak backyard has faced court for the first time, with an extra two charges laid against him.

Mr Mungatopi allegedly murdered his 37 year-old relative in the backyard of a Malak residence on Monday evening. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The man accused of murdering his relative in Malak has faced court for the first time.

On Wednesday morning, Andrew Mario Mungatopi, 34, appeared in Darwin Local Court charged with murder.

Mr Mungatopi is also facing charges of being armed with an offensive weapon and contravening a domestic violence order.

The accused sat in court for less than three minutes as Judge Greg McDonald adjourned the matter for a preliminary examination mention.

NT Police officers at a unit on Fawcett Court, Malak after a 37-year-old was allegedly murdered by her uncle, aged 33 on October 7. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Mungatopi allegedly murdered his 37 year-old relative in the backyard of a Malak residence on Monday evening, with the victim sustaining a single stab wound to the chest.

First responders reportedly performed CPR for up to 30 minutes, but the 37-year-old, who this masthead understands was a sistergirl, was declared dead on site.

NT Police arrested Mr Mungatopi at the scene, with Major Crime detectives taking over the scene.

On Tuesday afternoon, Detective Senior Sergeant John Beer asked anyone with information to assist authorities.

“Any incident like this is a tragedy – it’s a tragedy for the family and for the community in general,” he said.

“I ask anyone who has any information with respect to this matter to come forward and provide that to police.”

Mr Mungatopi will next face court on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.