A 42-year-old man has faced a Perth court charged with murder after a woman’s body was found in a luxury hotel room in the casino precinct.

October 31, 2023

A man has faced court over the alleged murder of a woman who was found with serious head injuries in a luxury hotel room in Perth’s casino resort.

Cameron John Pearson, 42, briefly appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday dressed in a white boiler suit.

He’s accused of murdering respected lawyer Alice McShera, 34, on Monday at the Crown Towers east of the Perth CBD.

The small courtroom was packed with media and distressed family members and supporters of Pearson and Ms McShera.

Pearson was not required to enter a plea and twice failed to verbally acknowledge that he understood the charge despite speaking with his lawyer Reid Hogan during the proceedings.

He instead shrugged his shoulders in answer to Magistrate Stephen Butcher’s questions before being led out of the glass-walled defendants’ dock.

West Australian police were called to Crown Towers about 11.10am on Monday, where Ms McShera’s body was found.

Inspector Geoff DeSanges said Ms McShera had suffered serious head injuries that were believed to have been caused by a blunt instrument.

“It would have been an extremely confronting scene,” he said.

“Our condolences go out to the family of the 34-year-old woman and also we acknowledge the confronting situation the first responders, including the security staff at the hotel, would have encountered upon entering the room.”

Insp DeSanges said Pearson and Ms McShera were involved in a relationship and the incident appeared to be a domestic violence incident.

“There appears to have been a passage of time between the woman being injured and police being called,” he said.

“A family member who was seeking to get hold of one of the people in that room had spoken to Crown Towers.

“Police received a call from Crown Towers.”

Ms McShera was a barrister at Perth law firm Murray Chambers.

In a statement, her colleagues said they were “deeply shocked at the terrible news regarding our respected and much-loved colleague and friend.”

“Alice was an experienced and very capable advocate who has been an integral part of the Murray Chambers family,” the firm said.

“The profession will be the poorer for her loss.  We feel keenly for Alice’s family and friends at this time.”

Pearson was also found in the room and had suffered what police believe are serious self-inflicted injuries.

He was arrested and taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment and discharged later in the day after medical staff reported he was in a stable condition.

Crown Resorts previously said its team was assisting detectives investigating the matter.

Pearson was remanded in custody to reappear in Stirling Magistrates Court on November 22.