Husband charged with murder of Brisbane mother
By Courtney Kruk and William Davis
Police have charged the husband of a Brisbane woman with murder after she was allegedly stabbed to death while her family was at home in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Emergency services were called to a home on Osprey Place in Taigum, in Brisbane’s north, about 12.30am on Saturday.
The woman, later identified as 48-year-old nurse and mother Carra Luke, was found unresponsive with significant stab wounds.
Despite attempts from paramedics, she died at the scene.
The death prompted police to set up two crime scenes more than 10 kilometres apart, with investigations leading police to a home on Hackman Street in McDowall about 40 minutes later.
A 52-year-old McDowall man known to the woman was taken into custody for questioning.
9News understands the man had been living there with his parents and is known to Luke.Credit: Nine
Both properties were roped off and declared crime scenes.
Police confirmed on Sunday the man had been charged with one count each of murder (domestic violence offence) and entering a dwelling with intent.
He was due to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
In a statement published online on Saturday, Luke’s workplace Nundah Doctors Surgery in Wavell Heights, paid tribute to the loss of a “wonderful nurse, colleague and dear friend”.
“A most empathic and caring human being, nurse, mother, and friend, Carra has been with us for 20 years and was the heart and soul of the practice,” principal doctor Margaret Cotter wrote.
“She is irreplaceable, and we will miss her every day.”
Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman praised the efforts of police who carried out a “very, very extensive investigation … in a very compact time” and acknowledged the impact of the tragedy on Luke’s family.
“This is [an] absolute tragic incident that’s occurred, terrible set of circumstances, and a very, very confronting scene for the family who were present in the house when the incident occurred,” he said.
“From a personal perspective, on behalf of the Queensland Police Service and myself and the investigators for the Brisbane region, I’d just like to pass on our thoughts for the family.”
He also thanked members of the public for providing information to support the investigation.
Police confirmed they had located the murder weapon, but did not say where, and added they were not aware of any callouts to the address in recent weeks.
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