Homicide Squad detectives have extradited a man from the United States and charged him over the alleged murder of Wachira ‘Mario’ Phetmang, after his body was discovered on the side of the road at Sydney Olympic Park last year.
About 10.30pm on Wednesday 6 June 2018, police were called to Homebush Bay Drive, Sydney Olympic Park, after the body of a man was discovered on the side of the road by a passing truck driver.
The body was wrapped in a plastic material and covered with a mattress protector.
Officers from Auburn Police Area Command established a crime scene, which was examined by specialist forensic officers.
The man was formally identified as 33-year-old Thai National, Wachira ‘Mario’ Phetmang, who had been living in Australia for the last 10 years, and most recently living at Hurstville.
A post mortem examination revealed Mario had been seriously assaulted, and his cause of death was blunt-force trauma.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and Auburn Police Area Command established Strike Force Sinder to investigate the circumstances of Mario’s murder.
Following inquiries, strike force detectives applied for and were granted an arrest warrant for a 38-year-old man on Tuesday 11 September 2018. It was believed the man had already travelled overseas.
Late last year, police were notified the man, who is a US National, had been arrested in California by US authorities for an unrelated matter.
Earlier this week, Strike Force Sinder detectives travelled to San Diego, California, to extradite the man to Australia.
He was escorted by detectives on a flight to Sydney and taken to the Sydney Police Centre this morning (Sunday 14 April 2019).
The man was charged with the arrest warrant for the offence of murder.
He was refused bail to appear at Central Local Court tomorrow (Monday 15 April 2019).
