A man has been charged with murder after a woman’s body was found at a Hunter Valley home on Friday night following a suspected domestic violence incident.
Christopher McLoughney, 37, will face court on Sunday after strike force detectives arrested him at a sporting club carpark in Bellbird, west of Newcastle, about 6.45pm on Saturday. Police allege he was in possession of a sawn-off shotgun.
Christopher McLoughney will face court charged with murder.Credit: Nine News
The alarm was raised after a child walked 300 to 400 metres from a home on Ellalong Street in Kearsley, near Cessnock, to flag down passing motorists on Friday evening.
Police then found the body of a 39-year-old woman with a gunshot wound when they attended the home about 7.30pm.
Nine News identified the woman as Rhukaya Lake, McLoughney’s partner. The pair lived together and had been in an intimate relationship since June.
Rhukaya Lake, 39, had lived around Cessnock for most of her life.Credit: Nine News
“It’s very sad. The mother had a lot of blood coming from her head,” a neighbour told Nine News.
Hunter Valley Police District Commander Superintendent Steve Laksa described the death as a “traumatic incident”.
“I can only imagine the adverse impact this is going to have on community members and the family members,” he said.