20 May 2010

Man charged with murdering NZ nurse in Sydney

10:00 pm on 20 May 2010

A man has appeared in a Sydney court charged with the fatal stabbing of New Zealand-born nurse Michelle Beets.

Walter Ciaran Marsh, 49, was arrested at his Lane Cove apartment on Wednesday night and held in custody for at least 18 hours before being charged with murder.

Homicide squad acting commander Superintendent Mick Sheehy says fresh information led to forensic sampling and the laying of a formal murder charge.

Mr Marsh, a US citizen who worked with Ms Beets at the Royal North Shore Hospital, last week told journalists he did not kill her. Ms Beets, who was 57, was stabbed to death in April after finishing a shift at the hospital.

The accused did not apply for bail at Hornsby Local Court, the ABC reports, and the case was adjourned until next Tuesday.