Geraldton teen charged with murder
A teenager has been charged with the alleged murder of a man who was found dead in Geraldton this week.
Police last night charged a 17-year-old boy with murder after a 51-year-old man’s body was discovered outside a unit on Seventh Street in Wonthella on Thursday.
Police today named the alleged victim as 51-year-old Christopher Cunningham Patterson.
Detectives cordoned off several areas of Geraldton during their investigation. A nearby sporting facilities and the carpark at Geraldton Regional Hospital were also searched.
The teenager was remanded in custody to appear in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court today.
The death was the second alleged murder in Geraldton this week after the body of 34-year-old doctor Dinendra Athukorala was found in his home on Tuesday, less than 4km from Seventh Street.
Dr Athukorala’s 34-year-old wife Chamari Liyanage appeared in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court yesterday, charged with murder. She was remanded in custody to appear at Stirling Gardens Magistrate’s Court on July 16.
Police say the deaths were not linked.
