Yeronga balcony deaths: Details emerge after elderly man dies
- 74-year-old man dies after being thrown from balcony
- 49-year-old man charged with murder
An elderly man was enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon at home with his wife before he was thrown head-first over his balcony by an unknown person, leaving him with fatal head injuries.
Michael Thomas Chesworth, 74, fell three and a half meters from the first floor onto a concrete sidewalk at the bottom of his apartment complex on School Road, Yeronga, in Brisbane’s south.
He suffered serious head injuries during the fall and was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital where he underwent surgery, but later died.
Raymond John Binge, 49, unknown to Mr. Chesworth, was arrested at the unit complex and charged with murder.
A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed Mr Chesworth had just been diagnosed with cancer before his death.
Michael Thomas Chesworth, 74 (pictured), fell three and a half meters from the first floor onto a concrete sidewalk at the bottom of his apartment complex on School Road, Yeronga, in Brisbane’s south.
“He was an old guy who had six months to live with cancer, I didn’t know him very well,” he said.
Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said it was a “callous and unprovoked attack”.
“This was a cruel act towards an elderly man who was enjoying a Sunday afternoon with his wife. It is horribly tragic and confronting,” he told reporters on Monday.
Emergency services arrived at the 52-unit complex around 1:40 p.m. Sunday and found the elderly man in critical condition on the cement path.
Police began knocking on the doors of the building, where they later established that Binge was going door to door “aggressively looking for certain items.”
Mr Massingham said the nature of this would form part of the investigation.
The 74-year-old fell three and a half meters from the first floor onto a concrete sidewalk at the bottom of his apartment complex on School Road, Yeronga, in Brisbane’s south.
It is understood Binge then showed up at the victim’s door and a disagreement broke out between the two men.
“We allege the 49-year-old physically lifted the 74-year-old and threw him head-first over the railing,” Mr Massingham said.
The accused did not live in the building and was not known to the elderly man. He was an associate of someone who resides at the complex.
Mr Massingham said the victim’s wife was “devastated”.
“She’s with us right now in another location,” he said.
“We extend our support to him and to those in the bloc who witnessed this tragic event.”
Mr Massingham said alcohol was a factor and police are urging anyone living in the unit block to come forward if they have not yet spoken to detectives.
Binge was due to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
