Man dies in alleged axe murder after dispute with friend at remote NSW campground | New South Wales

A man has been charged with murder following an alleged ax attack on a campsite in New South Wales.

Emergency services were called to Thora, 25km northwest of Bellingen, just after midnight on Monday. They found a 33-year-old man who died from critical head trauma.

Officers were told by the victim’s friend that he had allegedly been hit in the head with an axe while camping on the Little Styx River at Ebor, near Armidale, a few hours earlier.

His friend, a 25-year-old woman, also claimed she was also attacked and drove the man from the remote campsite to Thora to seek help before he died. He was treated for bruising on his neck.

Police later arrested a 26-year-old man near Ebor before noon on Monday.

He was taken to Armidale police station and has since been charged with murder, reckless strangulation of a person with intent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was denied bail to appear in court on Tuesday morning.

Supt Chris McKinnon told a news conference on Monday that police believed the victim and the suspect knew each other. Allegedly, investigations into the fight were continuing.

“We think they knew each other, knew each other, and were camping with a woman,” McKinnon told reporters.

Police believe the victim, like the 26-year-old accused, also lives in the Thora area.

A crime was discovered at the campsite on Point Lookout Road in Ebor, with homicide detectives assisting the Ullmark strike force.