Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National
Alicia Perera and Mitchell Abram

Man charged with murder over body of 18-year-old discovered in driveway of house in Palmerston

A 20-year-old man has faced court charged with murder in relation to the death of a teenager whose body was found in the driveway of a property near Darwin at the weekend.

Dechlan Wurramarra, who is in custody after being arrested by Northern Territory Police on Monday, briefly appeared in the Darwin Local Court today.

He was charged by police in connection to the death of a man whose body was found lying on the driveway of a vacant house in the Palmerston suburb of Driver on Saturday.

Today, Crown prosecutor Marty Aust told the court that police believed Mr Wurramurra was one of several co-offenders involved in the man's death.  

While police have not yet arrested anyone else in relation to the incident, a NT Police spokesman has said the investigation is ongoing. 

The court also heard Mr Wurramurra was facing several other, unrelated charges, including possession, carriage or use of a controlled weapon and breach of bail.

Mr Aust said the prosecution was seeking an extended brief service order, based on the nature of the allegations and the size of the investigation.

"The preliminary brief at this stage already runs 179 pages, and there is a number of outstanding further documents," he said.

"It's already been a very fulsome investigation."

Judge David Woodroffe granted a three month adjournment, with the case to return to court on January 11.

Mr Wurramurra, who did not apply for bail, was remanded in custody. 

Police were informed of the death of the 18-year-old man at about 6:15am on Saturday, and declared the site a crime scene which remained in place for most of the weekend. 

On Sunday, Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Morrissey said police had identified the man as an 18-year-old resident of Driver, though the property he had been found at "certainly wasn't near his house".

He also said the man's body had sustained head trauma.

The police investigation is being led by the NT Police Major Crime Unit. 

Police are still appealing for anyone with information that could help the investigation to contact them.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.