Northern Rivers butcher charged with murdering girlfriend

A Northern Rivers butcher who allegedly murdered his new partner will remain behind bars until at least November.

Mullumbimby man, Jai Oden-Jenkins 29, was charged over an alleged domestic violence homicide late on Friday night at the unit he shared with his 23-year-old girlfriend.

Oden-Jenkins was arrested at the Ponciana Street complex and taken to Byron Bay Police Station in the early hours of Saturday morning, where he was charged with murder. He briefly appeared in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday where he did not apply for bail, which was formally refused. He will reappear in court in November.

Neighbour Cheryl Crichton told NBN News that she heard a disturbance at the home around 10.30pm.

“I was watching NCIS in bed and about 10.30 I started hearing lots of screaming, yelling, banging, smashing and a man just screaming out saying, ‘You killed her, you killed her, you killed her,’” she said.

The woman, who she knew by her first name of Ashleigh, had recently moved into the unit complex and got around town on a pink pushbike, Crichton said.

Police have confirmed that the couple were alone in the apartment when she was killed.

“There were no previous incidents of domestic violence reported to police and there was also no AVO in existence at the time,” Tweed Byron Police District crime manager Detective Inspector Matt Zimmer told reporters on the weekend.

Detectives are now working to establish if drugs were involved, he said.

A former student at Melbourne’s RMIT, Oden-Jenkins was a long-term resident of the Northern Rivers town and had worked at the town’s butcher until earlier this year.

His former boss Jay O’Harae told the Herald he was shocked to learn of his former staff member’s arrest.

“It is a genuine tragedy for everyone who is involved, our community will feel this event and the losses for a long time to come,” O’Harae said.

If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

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