A man accused of stabbing his wife in a murder in Gordon this week has appeared in court for the first time.
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Maged Mohommed Ahmed Al-Harazi, 34, was formally charged with the murder of his 28-year-old wife Sabah Al-Mdwali, a mother of three children, either on Monday or Tuesday.
Al-Harazi said nothing, save to speak briefly with his Legal Aid lawyer, during the short appearance, and was assisted by an Arabic interpreter.
No pleas were entered, and he made no application for bail.
But the court heard Al-Harazi may need to stay in court for another matter at midday, the details of which cannot be disclosed.
The alleged murder case will come back to court in April, and it was adjourned to allow him to apply for Legal Aid.
It is understood Al-Harazi worked in the service industry, and is of Yemeni descent.
Al-Harazi attended Tuggeranong Police Station on Tuesday morning to report to police.
Neighbours said they heard shouts and screams coming from a home on Knoke Street in Gordon where the woman was found dead in Tuesday's early hours.
The woman's body was found with critical head injuries and several stab wounds and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
"As with any crime scene, it was horrific," ACT Policing acting Superintendent Harry Hains said on Tuesday.
Police said they will allege the man used an edged weapon in carrying out the attack.
Acting Superintendent Hains said that no one else had been inside the house when police and paramedics arrived.
Police said on Tuesday and Wednesday that the woman had two children, but confirmed on Thursday she actually had three.
Police remained at the Gordon house on Thursday and were expected to continue their investigation at the site for several days.
A bunch of pink roses had been left outside the house and a child's swing hung from a tree in the front yard.
Detectives examined a silver car in the driveway before it was towed away.
A neighbour from across the road said the couple had moved into the townhouse not long before Christmas last year.
She often saw the woman outside on the street with her children but said she rarely spoke to anyone.
"I saw the woman every day, I'm in shock. I just can't sleep. I see her standing there all the time."
It is understood the youngest of the woman's three children was an infant.
It is the third homicide investigation in Canberra's south in as many weeks, after the alleged murders of Tara Costigan in Calwell on February 28, and Neal Keith Wilkinson in Wanniassa on March 10.
The incidents are not linked.
As the investigation continues, police are urging anyone who might have witnessed the Gordon incident on Tuesday or can provide information and has not yet spoken to police to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via act.crimestoppers.com.au.
