Fatal stabbing: police search Tamworth crime scenes as part of murder probe

The 28-year-old was charged late on Monday with murder after he spent the day in police custody being questioned by detectives.

He will spend the night in custody at Tamworth Police Station and is due to front court on Tuesday morning.

Police will allege in court the pair were known to one another and Sunday afternoon's deadly stabbing in South Tamworth was not a random attack.

Homicide investigators are working hand-in-hand with Oxley detectives to piece together the moments leading up to and after the violent attack.

On Monday afternoon, several officers spent hours combing in and around the unit block on Woodward Avenue and Susanne Street where the victim was killed.

It's believed he died in the courtyard of the unit block shortly after 3pm.

READ ALSO:

The city's top cop Oxley Superintendent Bruce Grassick said officers and paramedics tried desperately to save the man's life.

"The victim was in a state where they were unable to make a phone call, but we did receive some calls in relation to this matter and that is subject to some lines of inquiry as well," Superintendent Grassick said.

The accused was not arrested until more than six hours after, several streets away in Cossa Street in West Tamworth.

Police say what happened in those hours are now crucial to their investigation.

"We're particularly interested in that timeline, that 3pm to 9:50pm timeline, we need to account for movements in that particular period of time," Superintendent Grassick said.

The Superintendent also moved to reassure the community that the stabbing is an isolated incident and that the situation is "well and truly in hand".

"This incident with these two parties is something that's flared up between individuals that are known to each other," Superintendent Garrick said.

"We've got homicide squad assisting us, we've got other resources from the region, so we can always call upon more resources if we need them."

Detectives suspect several witnesses in and around the unit block could hold crucial clues about what happened in the moments before the 37-year-old was attacked.

"There were a number of residents there in the complex at the time, but essentially he was alone in that courtyard," Superintendent Grassick said.

"We are aware that there was drinking over the course of the day involving this particular individual and others. Again, we're trying to piece together that entire day and the timeline is so important to us in how this played out."

On Monday, detectives interviewed several witnesses while uniformed officers and plain clothes police conducted a detailed line search of more than 1.5km area between where the victim was found and where the accused was arrested.

The officers were seen scouring the roadway and front yards looking for clues connected to the murder probe.

The weapon used in the attack is at the centre of the investigation.

"It's a significantly large scene. There's all sorts of items we would collect, they'll be subject to forensic examination, and then we'll make some determinations with the pathologist," Superintendent Grassick said.

"We're currently still investigating that particular scene, also another scene in Cossa street, and also all those streets in between Cossa and Susanne Street are subject to our investigation."

On Monday, police also appealed for anyone who might have been walking or driving in the area between Susanne Street and Cossa Street who might have seen anything out of the ordinary that could help their investigation.

Investigators are appealing for anyone with CCTV or dash cam footage to come forward.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: