A 33-year-old man has been charged with murder after a 75-year-old Queensland man was allegedly bashed to death in front of his wife of 40 years.
The tragedy unfolded on the Esplanade at Torquay, in Hervey Bay, following reports of an assault around 7.50pm on Friday night.
Police say an altercation broke out between the elderly couple, their female tenant renting the downstairs unit and a 33-year-old man they didn't know who was visiting that woman.
"I would like to stress it wasn't a domestic violence-related episode," Gary Pettiford of Queensland Police said.
"He heard a bit of a commotion between this male and the two ladies, one of which was his wife. He then went downstairs to help them, where he was confronted by the male offender," he said.
Police allege the argument quickly escalated with officers believing the 33-year-old violently attacked the property owners, beating the elderly man to death and assaulting his wife.
Emergency responders tried to revive him, but he was unable to be resuscitated.
The woman was taken to hospital for minor injuries she sustained but has since been released. She is understood to be physically OK but deeply distressed.
"It's horrific, as you'd imagine, her lifelong partner has lost his life," Pettiford said of the victim.
The accused killer left the scene before officers located him at a nearby property and took him into custody, where he was charged with murder, serious assault and two drug offenses.
He is expected to face court on Monday.
