A 32-year-old homeless man has been charged with murder following the discovery of a man’s body in Kororoit Creek on Wednesday morning.
The body of Brimbank man Joel Desgranges, believed to be in his 70s, was discovered by a passer-by about 9am, just off Glengala Road.
Sunshine police acting inspector Greg Hinton said officers were “reassuring the community” that the attack was an isolated incident.
“We believe it was a random attack; the man was a regular walker,” he said.
“We also believe the attacker could be dealing with some psychological issues.
“We’ve been reassuring the community in recent days that it’s a safe area, [with] letterbox drops and talking to residents.”
Dion Laban, of no fixed abode, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court last Thursday, after he was arrested at Sunshine on Wednesday.
Detective Inspector Mick Hughes, of the homicide squad, said police had been told an “altercation” had taken place near the creek about 6am.
Prosecutors told the magistrates court on Thursday that police would need longer than usual to compile their brief of evidence because a large amount of CCTV footage needed to be processed.
Laban, who was supported in court by friends, has never been in custody before, his defence lawyer said.
Magistrate Michelle Ehrlich remanded him to return to court in April next year.
– with The Age
