Men accused of killing brother of NRL player appear in Gold Coast court

As he was led out of court and back into the cells, he said “I love you mom” to a woman sitting at the back of the court who said words to him as the case was mentioned.

Mr Latter’s case was adjourned on the same date and he was also remanded in custody.

Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn said on Friday police were investigating the circumstances of the argument outside the prison, where Mr. Opacic went to meet a woman who was being released.

Police found the vehicle the men were in on Saturday in Laidley, west of Brisbane, and towed it away for a forensic examination.

In court Monday, Mr Latter’s lawyer Campbell MacCallum said it was a “tragic incident” and his client was “quite shocked and upset” by his situation.

“Police allege the intention was to kill or kill the deceased, but the facts certainly do not fully support this at this point,” MacCallum said.

“Based on the small amount of documents provided to me, it would appear that the only two witnesses are the two accused… but other than that, there are no eyewitnesses to the collision.

Tom Opacic wearing a black armband for his brother Jakob, during the clash with the Penrith Panthers on Friday.Credit:Mark Kolbe – Getty Images

“I understand that everything was pretty quiet in the correctional center and that there was some sort of altercation later, but it is not clear if this altercation had anything to do with the deceased.”

Mr Johnson, from Narangba, north of Brisbane, surrendered to officers at Laidley Police Station at around 2 a.m. on Saturday.

He was charged with murder, dangerous operation of a vehicle, failure to stop a private vehicle as required and driving a motor vehicle with a driver’s license excluded by court order.

Mr Latter, from Mitchelton in north Brisbane, was arrested on the Sunshine Coast late Saturday afternoon and was also later charged with murder.

Mr. Opacic is the brother of NRL center Tom Opacic, who started his career with the Brisbane Broncos before joining the North Queensland Cowboys and Parramatta Eels.

Tom played for the Eels on Friday night against the Penrith Panthers, which the Eels lost 13-12.