Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
Brisbane man acquitted of rent row killing

A Brisbane man has been acquitted of the manslaughter of his housemate as they fought about rent.

April 30, 2019

Aaron Bunch, Warren Barnsley, Nicholas McElroy

A Brisbane man has been found not guilty of killing his housemate by putting him in a headlock during a dispute about rent payments.

Aaron Llewellyn Jones, 31, was acquitted on Tuesday of the manslaughter of Joel Charlesworth, 30, in 2016 after a Brisbane Supreme Court trial.

The court heard, Mr Charlesworth was employed as a labourer when he moved into a two-storey Murrarie rental home but subsequently lost the job and fell behind on rent.

This caused issues between Jones and Mr Charlesworth and came to a head just before midnight on March 26, when the conflict became physical.

Mr Jones’ former girlfriend Elizabeth Jetnikoff told the court she heard the confrontation get heated and later saw the pair “get into each other’s faces” over what she said was “something silly”.

She said the confrontation escalated and Mr Jones restrained Mr Charlesworth from behind.

Ms Jetnikoff said she went out of the bedroom briefly and returned to find Mr Charlesworth on the ground having difficulty breathing and Mr Jones hunched over him.

“I just saw blood and Joel (Charlesworth) on the ground and struggling to breath.”

She called paramedics and held the mobile phone up to Jones’ ear while he performed CPR on Mr Charlesworth.

Mr Charlesworth died at the scene.  

A pathologist also told the court Mr Charlesworth had serious underlying medical conditions before the altercation.

These included issues with his lungs and a coronary disease which included an 85 per cent artery blockage.

Comments are closed.

Latest Stories
archive
date published
March 2024
M T W T F S S
« Feb    
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031