UPDATE: A 29-year-old butcher from Northern Rivers has been charged with the murder of his 23-year-old girlfriend, marking a harrowing turn of events in a domestic violence case. Jai Oden-Jenkins was arrested in the early hours of Saturday at their shared unit in Mullumbimby following an alleged domestic incident late Friday night.
The tragic incident unfolded around 10:30 PM, when neighbors reported hearing intense screams and violent disturbances emanating from the couple’s apartment. One neighbor, Cheryl Crichton, described the chaos, stating, “I was watching NCIS in bed and started hearing lots of screaming, yelling, banging, smashing, and a man just screaming out saying, ‘You killed her, you killed her, you killed her.’”
Authorities confirmed that the couple was alone in the apartment during the incident. Detective Inspector Matt Zimmer from the Tweed Byron Police District stated, “There were no previous incidents of domestic violence reported to police, and there was also no AVO in existence at the time.”
Oden-Jenkins was taken to Byron Bay Police Station shortly after his arrest, where he was charged with murder. He made a brief appearance in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday, where he did not apply for bail, which was formally refused. He is scheduled to reappear in court in November.
Detectives are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether drugs played a role. As the investigation unfolds, community members are left grappling with the impact of this tragic event.
Stay tuned for further updates as authorities continue to develop the case.
