The brothers of the man who died in a house fire last week have spoken of their loss.
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"It's a very terrible situation for our family," Akech Deng, the brother of the deceased man, Kot Ador Deng, said outside court. "We cannot believe that we have lost him that way."
They addressed the media after 38-year-old Atem Marol Deng appeared before ACT Magistrates Court accused of murder and of arson. He did not make a bid for conditional release when he faced the court but entered not guilty pleas.
The body of 36-year-old Kot Ador Deng who lived at the Giltinan Place, Holt, property was found inside the home after firefighters extinguished the early morning blaze on May 22. He was also known as Bol Ador Deng.
His brothers said he had eight children who live in Canberra. He had been in the city for 16 years and worked as a builder. He was active in the church, they said.
"I can describe him as a good man," the dead man's younger brother said. "We need justice for Bol. He is a father. He left the kids behind. No kids deserve that."
The family group thanked the ACT police.
The family members said that their deceased brother didn't know the man accused of killing him.
However, police said at an earlier press conference that the two men had known each other. The police believed there had been some sort of dispute between the two men.
The victim was known to police and was convicted of a serious assault charge against his pregnant wife 10 years ago.
The brothers said the eight children of the dead men were those of two mothers.
In court, the alleged murderer wore a high-vis hoodie, shorts and thongs. He briefly looked at the packed public gallery when entering the courtroom.
He was soon taken back into the cells after a short appearance.
Speaking to media on Friday morning, ACT Policing Acting Superintendent Stephen Ladd said the accused and the alleged victim of the fire knew each other.
About 7.30am on Friday, officers searched a Northbourne Avenue home where they arrested the alleged murderer.
"Police allege the man should have known that the deceased would have been in the residence at the time of the arson, and therefore the charge of murder is appropriate," police said in a statement.
The accused and the alleged victim were both members of the south Sudanese community but the court noted the alleged crime was not one of family violence.
Acting Superintendent Ladd said the house was almost completely destroyed. The cause of death was smoke asphyxiation.
The officer said petrol was found in the house after the fire.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Peter Brewer
Telling the truth and holding agencies accountable must matter to us all. It's also important to tell the story well, and factually. Contact me at peter.brewer@canberratimes.com.au
Telling the truth and holding agencies accountable must matter to us all. It's also important to tell the story well, and factually. Contact me at peter.brewer@canberratimes.com.au
