A man is behind bars accused of killing his ‘larrikin’ father during a bloody confrontation at an outback roadhouse.
John Matthew Gallagher, 27, appeared at Perth Magistrates’ Court via videolink on Sunday in connection with the death of his father, Dean Thomas Gallagher, 51.
Emergency services were called to the BP Roadhouse near Salmon Gums, 106km north of Esperance, WA, early Friday morning.
Mr Gallagher, 51, was found seriously injured and could not be resuscitated at the scene, prompting a murder investigation.
Following an investigation, his son John Matthew Gallagher was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder.
The next morning he appeared in court in Perth via video link from Esperance.
Local news reports claimed that Gallagher himself had called the police to inform them that his father had been injured and was bleeding profusely.
It is also alleged that his father suffered injuries to his leg Seven news.
‘Deano’ Gallagher was allegedly murdered by his own son at a Western Australian petrol station
A confrontational video circulated online and appeared to show the disturbing aftermath.
Gallagher was remanded to appear at a future hearing at Stirling Gardens Magistrates’ Court on October 30.
His father Dean had listed the Salmon Gum roadhouse online as his last place of employment.
Tributes poured in on social media, with friends remembering their partner ‘Deano’ as a ‘larrikin, a muso and an adventurer’.
“I don’t even have the words to explain how much you meant to us, but you knew,” a friend wrote.
Mr Gallagher was remembered by friends as a ‘larrikin’ who would ‘lighten up wherever he went (to)’
‘We have memories to cherish, but that doesn’t feel like enough. You will be forever missed, always loved and never forgotten.”
Another added: “You were a great man, you always cheered up wherever you went.”