The ex-boyfriend of murdered Sydney girl Kate Malonyay plunged to his death this afternoon after being chased by police seeking to arrest him.
Elliot Coulson leapt from 26th floor balcony of a luxury Gold Coast hotel this morning as homicide detectives were trying to get into his hotel room.
The tragic twist comes the same day police launched a murder investigation into Ms Malonyay’s death.
Paramedics found the 32-year-old was found dead at her Mosman home on Monday by police after she had failed to show up to work four days in a row.
Her death was treated as suspicious by police who said she was found with bruising on her body, and a neighbour said she was strangled though an autopsy failed to find a cause of death, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The murder victim is reported to have met Coulson about 18 months ago and broke up with him a few months ago over a “build up of things”, friends told the paper.
“A lot of what he said about himself to her was a lie,” one said.
“He would often say he was going away on “deployments” and then be spotted around Sydney.
The Marriott hotel at Surfers Marriot released a statement following Coulson’s death. He crashed through a metal awning landing in a water feature outside the hotel’s lobby.
“We can confirm that earlier today, we had an incident involving a guest death,” general manager Neeraj Chadha said.
“The police are conducting a full investigation into the matter and circumstances preceding the guest’s death.”
Ms Malonyay, a well-liked financer is mourned by friends and family. Her Facebook page has been flooded with tributes and her boss, Challenger CEO Brian Benari, said in a statement she would be sorely missed.
“All of Kate’s friends and colleagues at Challenger are deeply shocked and saddened by the news,” he said.
“Kate worked for Challenger for three years and was a much-liked and valued member of staff. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Kate. She will be remembered for her sense of humour, easygoing nature and professionalism. Our thoughts are now with her family.”
