Man Arrested After Allegedly Burning Sister Alive; Police Suspect Domestic Violence

A 31-year-old man in Australia has been arrested for allegedly killing his sister by burning her alive after she suffered from a significant head injury.

Officers from Murray River Police District responded to a home on Dick Street in Deniliquin, a town in New South Wales around 1:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Arriving officers found the 42-year-old woman in the front yard of the home. The emergency crew administered first aid, but, the woman died at the scene. A cop also suffered burns to his hands after he tried to extinguish a blaze, 9 News reported.

According to the police, the woman sustained a significant head injury before she was set on fire by her brother. Police said they received several calls from shocked witnesses.

The victim’s 31-year-old brother, Jason Patterson, who was present at the crime scene, was arrested and taken to Deniliquin Police Station, according to Murray River Police District Commander Paul Smith.

"It will be alleged the victim and offender are known to each other and are in fact siblings," Smith added, ABC News reported. "It's atrocious for the family, atrocious for the friends involved," he said.

Patterson has been charged with murder. He is in police custody and had been refused bail. Police said they are not looking for "any other persons of interest" and believe the crime was domestic violence-related. The accused is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 8, 2022.

Edward River Council Mayor, Norm Brennan said the community is shocked by the incident. "A lot of people are shocked at what happened ... Deniliquin itself has about 7,500 people and it's a very close-knit tight community ... For an event like what happened, a lot of people were extremely surprised," he said, reported ABC News.

"A number of local people, Deniliquin being a small town, are awfully distressed in witnessing this incident," Smith said to the outlet.

Police are still investigating the incident.

In a similar incident, an Ohio man was arrested for allegedly killing his adoptive mother last week. The suspect decapitated the victim in front of his 6-year-old nephew and lit the house on fire. He told the police that the "holy-spirit" told him to kill the woman because she was the "devil."