A Queensland man accused of killing an elderly grandfather at a popular tourist strip has been remanded in custody.
Ryo Jay Anan, 27, of Gympie, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday after being charged on Sunday with the murder of John Campbell Kerr at Noosa Heads.
Mr Kerr, 87, was found unconscious on a path along the beachfront at the northern end of Hastings Street near the corner of Claude Batten Drive about 6am on June 18.
Police said Mr Kerr had sustained serious head injuries consistent with an assault.
Bystanders assisted the elderly man before paramedics arrived, but he died at the scene.
Anan was taken into custody about 100m away on the beachfront a short time later.
Investigators believe the two men were not known to each other.
Anan was represented by Legal Aid when he faced court on a single murder charge.
His occupation was listed in court documents as “vagabond” and he was held in remand until his next appearance in the same court on July 24.
Acting Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said police had taken their time to sort out the case’s “complexities” in the time between Anan’s arrest and the murder charge.
“We have got additional information from witnesses and … from our forensics that we have collected through our investigation,” he said.
Det Insp Mansfield said the Kerr family had been distressed but had taken some satisfaction that a charge had been laid over the killing.
“Clearly they would love their family member back as opposed to where they are right now,” he said.
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