A MAN accused of murdering 38-year-old Ash Morgan during a physical altercation at Raymond Terrace in the early hours of Tuesday remains behind bars after he faced court over the charge for the first time on Wednesday.
Kane Flanders said "I love you" to a small group of supporters in the public gallery at Raymond Terrace courthouse after the matter was briefly mentioned before Magistrate Andrew Eckhold.
Mr Flanders did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
Magistrate Eckhold ordered a brief of evidence to be served by Flanders' next court appearance in Newcastle on June 5.
A murder charge was handed down over the fatal altercation, which involved and axe and a razor scooter.
Emergency services were called to Cambridge Avenue about 2am following reports that a man had been found with serious head injuries. The man, Ash Morgan, died at the scene.
A 29-year-old man, now revealed to be Kane Flanders, was arrested near the scene, and after a trip to Maitland hospital for assessment, he was taken to Raymond Terrace police station where he was charged with murder.
It is thought the altercation may have been instigated over a noise complaint.
The argument and altercation lasted about 30 minutes.
"I just awoke to the sound of someone's door getting kicked in," neighbour Cassie Lee said.
"I heard an altercation and called the police. I came out and saw a gentleman on the floor (road)."
Port Stephens-Hunter Police District commander Wayne Humphrey said Mr Morgan suffered head injuries but the formal cause of death was yet to be determined.
Strike Force Lenehan had been formed to investigate the incident.
"They were known to each other but only casually; they lived nearby," Superintendent Humphrey said.
"The strike force is examining if there was anything more particular (to the relationship)."
Both men were known to police.
Morgan was in 2020 the subject of a massive manhunt after he became a suspect in the suspicious death of a baby boy in the Upper Hunter.
He was charged with assaulting the boy and those charges were subject to a temporary stay in the local court for two years while a coronial inquest into the boy's death was being prepared to be held in February, 2022.
The charges were later withdrawn by police and it is unknown if an inquest was ever held. No one has been charged over the boy's death.
Morgan was jailed for a maximum of two years, with a non-parole period of one year for assaulting the boy's mother. He appealed against the severity of the sentence, but it was dismissed.
Police have appealed to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or with dashcam footage to contact Raymond Terrace Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
- With reporting by Matthew Kelly, Jessica Brown and Sam Rigney
