Eliasoa Thomas Wasaga appears in court over Darwin Tomaris Court murder

A 51-year-old accused murderer has faced court for the first time over an alleged ‘horrendous domestic violence incident’.

UPDATE, WED APR 20: A 51-YEAR-OLD accused murderer dressed in prison orange walked slowly into the view of the court’s video link.

Eliasoa Thomas Wasaga faced Darwin Local Court on Wednesday over allegations he bashed a 54-year-old and left him to die from his critical injuries in their Darwin city apartment.

Police have alleged his 54-year-old victim was discovered in his Tomaris Court flat on Friday morning, April 8, hours after the brutal assault.

He was found by other residents, suffering from severe head injuries and injuries to the torso and defensive wounds from the alleged blunt force trauma.

Eliasoa Thomas Wasaga, 51, was charged with murder after a 54-year-old man was fatally assaulted in his Tomaris Court flat, Smith St, Darwin, on April 8, 2022.

The 54-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition, and passed away five days later.

Last week, Senior Sergeant Michael Budge described the apartment as a confronting crime scene, calling his death an alleged “horrendous domestic violence incident”.

Wasaga appeared for a first hearing before Judge Ben O’Loughlin in Darwin Local Court for the murder charge.

He was expected to appear the day earlier, but a blackout in the court delayed the case.

Wasaga’s solicitor, Shannon Ramsay did not apply for bail during his first appearance on Wednesday.

Prosecutors were ordered to hand over their briefs to the defence by June 15. 

Wagasa will return for a preliminary examination mention at Darwin Local Court on June 29. 

Blackout delays murder accused’s court date

A MAN charged with murder over what police described as an alleged “horrendous domestic violence” incident at the Tomaris Court flats earlier this month will now face court on Wednesday after a power outage.

Eliasoa Thomas Wasaga, 51, was due to appear in the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, following the incident on April 7, before the courthouse power went out before lunch.

Crime scene

When court was due to resume at 2pm, the power was still off and Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris announced all cases involving defendants in custody would be adjourned until the following morning so the issue could be resolved.

Last week, Detective acting Senior Sergeant Michael Budge said Wasaga was related to a 54-year-old man found dead inside the Smith St unit complex on the morning of April 8.

Sgt Budge confirmed that a weapon was allegedly involve in the incident and the dead man had suffered blunt force injuries.

Police call for more info in relation to alleged ‘horrendous’ DV murder

POLICE are continuing to appeal for information in relation to an alleged “horrendous domestic violence” murder in the Darwin CBD last week.

A 51-year-old man was arrested and charged on Thursday over the alleged murder of a 54-year-old male relative at a unit in the Tomaris Court flats on Smith St overnight on April 8.

On Saturday, Detective acting Senior Sergeant Michael Budge said officers had been confronted with a “horrendous scene” inside the unit, which remains taped off with police tape.

“This incident is (is alleged to be) quite a horrendous domestic violence incident involving relatives,” he said.

Sgt Budge confirmed that a weapon was allegedly involve in the incident and the man had suffered blunt force injuries.

“The blunt force trauma has resulted in severe head injuries and injuries to the torso and defensive wounds,” he said.

Sgt Budge said a woman who was also present in the flat during the incident, but who has not been charged, was the partner of the man in custody and police were still seeking more information.

“We’ve had lots of information come forward throughout the week and we’re still seeking further information should anyone have anything to inform us about,” he said.

“If anyone’s seen anything happen at the Tomaris Court flats, towards the service station area, between 6.30 on Thursday evening, on the 7th of April, and 8.20am on the 8th of April, please ring 131 444.”

Speaking generally, Sgt Budge said domestic violence continued to be a scourge throughout the Northern Territory and urged any victims to come forward.

“It’s a serious matter and people are being harmed every day because of it,” he said.

“If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please reach out and ring 131 444, or if it’s urgent, ring triple-0 and police will assist you.”

The 51-year-old man is due to face court on Tuesday.

Murder charge laid after death of man allegedly assaulted near his CBD home

NT Police have charged a man with murder after the death of another man earlier this month.

A 54-year-old man was allegedly assaulted with a blunt weapon near his Smith St home. Emergency services were called after a woman ran into a nearby business to call for help.

He was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital but died late this week.

A 51-year-old man was arrested on Thursday and charged with murder.

He is expected to face court on April 19.

Detective acting senior sergeant Michael Budge alleged it was a “horrendous act of domestic violence”.

“If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, please reach out for help,” he said.

“You can contact police at any time on 131 444 or in an emergency call triple-0.”

Cops open murder probe after Darwin man dies in hospital

POLICE are now conducting a murder investigation after a man found with serious head injuries in his Darwin apartment last week died in hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

The man, aged in his 50s, was rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition from his home in the Tomaris Court Flats last Friday morning and died at about 12.15pm on Wednesday.

Detective acting Senior Sergeant Michael Budge said while no arrests had been made, the man’s two flatmates were believed to have been in the Smith St unit during the incident and were now considered “persons of interest”.

“Investigations are progressing and we have spoken with residents of the complex who were able to assist us in establishing a timeline of what happened,” he said.

Sgt Budge said police believed the man sustained the injuries some time between the evening of April 7 and the morning of April 8, but the alarm was not raised until the other two residents reported the incident that morning.

Sgt Budge said the man did not have a partner but police were treating the death as a “domestic incident”.

The crime scene on Smith St.

He said the crime scene, which remains in place at the housing complex, was “very confronting” for first responders but it was unclear whether a weapon had been involved and police were not concerned that a dangerous offender potentially remained at large.

“It was quite a confronting scene for police to attend, it’s not a usual scene that police attend so yes, it was very confronting,” he said.

Sgt Budge said neighbours had reported hearing arguing coming from the unit during the night and investigators believed alcohol may have played a role in the incident.

He said detectives had spoken to at least 30 witnesses already but appealed for anyone with any further information to come forward.

“If we have anyone who’s seen anything or heard anything at the Tomaris Court Flats between the evening of the 7th of April and the morning of the 8th of April, we would like you to come forward and tell us any information you have,” he said.

“If there’s anyone that has any CCTV or dashcam footage in the area, please come forward to police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference number 9974017.

Man left for dead in Darwin home

INITIAL SAT APR 9: POLICE are investigating after a man with a critical head injury was left for dead in his Darwin apartment.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Michael Budge said a crime scene was expected to remain until Monday around a Tomaris Court flat where the man in his 50s was discovered.

A woman raised the alarm after finding the badly injured man in his Smith St apartment on Friday.

Sergeant Budge said she raced to a service station after finding him, and he was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital.

“He’s in a critical condition and I’m not sure if he will recover or not,” the officer said.

“It is a domestic assault which we’re investigating, quite a serious one.”

It is not suggested that the man’s partner had anything to do with his assault.

Sergeant Budge said the man was possibly left in the critical state “for some time” with the assault happening between Thursday evening and Friday morning.

He was unable to confirm if a weapon was used, if there were others in the home at the time of the suspected assault and said there were no suspects in this early stage of the investigation.

He said there was no evidence of a break-in at the property.

Sergeant Budge said police were reviewing CCTV and had spoken to 20 people who may have witnessed the incident, but urged more to come forward.

“We’ll continue to speak with them until we can confirm what hashappened in that unit,” he said.