Wayne Alec William Bannerman, 36, unemployed, of Koonwarra St, was yesterday refused bail when he appeared in Albury Court before bail justice Yvette Robertson.

He will reappear in Albury Court this morning charged with the murder of Christopher Hall, 48, at a Koonwarra St block of units on Wednesday night.

In tendered facts, police allege Mr Hall had been in the courtyard of the Koonwarra St unit complex at 6pm on Wednesday when he had been approached by Mr Bannerman.

It is alleged Mr Bannerman walked up to |Hall and struck him several times to the |neck and torso with a large knife or similar weapon.

Mr Hall died as a result of the severe lacerations and major blood loss and a post mortem done yesterday morning confirmed this as the cause of death.

Police said one other resident from the unit complex witnessed the attack and Bannerman had then been seen walking towards the rear of his unit.

Police and ambulance officers arrived at the Koonwarra St units at 6.30pm, as a result of a 000 call, and found Mr Hall’s body in the courtyard.

Between 7.30pm and 8pm police established a perimeter around Mr Bannerman’s unit and officers from the State Protection Support Unit had been deployed.

Police began negotiations with Mr Bannerman at 11.45pm and an hour later he came to|the rear door of his unit and|was arrested without incident.

He was assessed by ambulance officers and found to be responsive and coherent, but he told police he had taken a quantity of Panadeine Forte.

When interviewed at Albury police station and asked if he wanted to say anything in relation to the death of Christopher Hall, police allege Mr Bannerman replied “I killed him ... ’cause I felt like it”.

In a later interview he is alleged to have said he “may” have committed the murder by attacking Mr Hall with a knife or axe but could not be sure.

He told police on one occasion he had blacked out.

No application for bail was submitted on Mr Bannerman’s behalf.

Prosecutor Sen Constable Jim Caldwell said that police would oppose bail on the basis of the incident being a violent and heinous crime and the “protection of the community is paramount”.

“The accused has shown he has a violent nature,” he said.

Mr Bannerman was remanded to appear in Albury court this morning at 9.30am.

Before the court appearance, Acting Insp Brad Blanchard said police had recovered a knife from the scene and forensic investigations would determine if it was the weapon used in the attack on Mr Hall.