Gold Coast man Ethan Midgley, 23, has been charged with the domestic violence murder of Mallorie Jane, a 23-year-old mother of a two-year-old boy. Police allege Midgley used a homemade, unregistered firearm in the shooting that occurred at Ms. Jane's Biggera Waters apartment around 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Midgley, who also uses the alias Ethan Martinez, was due to appear at Southport Magistrates Court on Monday but did not attend in person. He was remanded in custody, and the matter has been adjourned to next month.
Midgley, who presented himself on social media with designer labels and a rap-themed Instagram account, was seen in photographs wearing Nike TN sneakers, a style associated with the 'eshay' subculture. A pair of black and white Nike TNs were observed on the ground outside Ms. Jane's Loder Street residence on Sunday, along with a vape.
Friends of Ms. Jane have reportedly expressed outrage on Midgley's Facebook page following his arrest. Sources close to Ms. Jane indicated she was not in a relationship with the accused and was awaiting the release of her long-term partner, Jamie Coulson, who is the father of her son, Tyson. One friend stated that Ms. Jane had known Midgley for several years but was never in a romantic relationship with him.
Ms. Jane's mother, Felicity, posted an emotional tribute on Facebook following her daughter's death. Ms. Jane's son, Tyson, was reportedly not present at the apartment during the incident and was under the care of extended family.
Queensland Police released footage of Midgley's arrest on Sunday night, during which he cooperated with officers. Neighbors expressed shock over the incident. One neighbor mentioned having spoken with Ms. Jane's father recently about disturbances at her apartment, recalling that her father had expressed a desire for her to remove "riff-raff" from her life.
A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated by Ms. Jane's friend, Haylee Harris, to assist with funeral expenses and provide support for her son. In a statement on the fundraising page, Ms. Harris described Ms. Jane as a "beautiful young mum" whose life was taken too soon in an alleged act of domestic violence.
Neighbor Sharon Burgess reportedly called triple-0 and followed emergency operator instructions to perform CPR on Ms. Jane until paramedics arrived. Ms. Burgess stated she heard a commotion around 8 p.m. and a man emerged from the unit requesting an ambulance. Ms. Jane, who had resided at the address for approximately one year, was pronounced dead at the scene.