The "devastated" family of a Reid woman is in mourning after she was allegedly beaten to death by her partner, who is accused of using a weapon to inflict some of her "extensive injuries".
Police arrested the alleged killer, Adam James Britt, and charged him with murder on Thursday night.
Britt, dressed in a blue business shirt, did not apply for bail or enter a plea when he briefly faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday morning.
Appearing via audio-visual link, he said "yep" to confirm his name, that he understood the charge would be read to him, and that he would be remanded in custody to appear in court again on February 16.
Earlier, at a press conference, Detective Superintendent Hall O'Meagher revealed Britt, 37, had called paramedics to the couple's Reid unit on September 9, 2022.
ACT Ambulance Service staff were unable to save Britt's partner, 36-year-old Tiffany Spence, who was described as having suffered injuries to "a great proportion of her body".
Detective Superintendent O'Meagher said the initial stages of the "complex" five-month investigation that followed were focused on identifying Ms Spence's cause of death.
The officer in charge of ACT Policing's criminal investigations said detectives eventually came to the conclusion it was blunt force trauma.
He would not reveal what sort of weapon was allegedly used to inflict some of the woman's injuries.
"The family of the [alleged] victim are obviously devastated by her death," Detective Superintendent O'Meagher said.
"Police have been keeping them up to date during the course of the investigation.
"They've been told of the news of the arrest and it will give them some relief, but they're still grieving and our thoughts are with them today."
The detective, who said no children were present at the time of the alleged murder, defended the decision not to advise the public of the woman's death for nearly five months.
Detective Superintendent O'Meagher said it would not have been "prudent" to do as part of the investigation strategy.
He added that he wanted to reassure members of the public their safety had been "paramount" in the minds of police, who had the alleged killer "well-monitored" throughout the investigation.
The senior investigator also addressed the broader issue of domestic violence, describing it as an often "hidden problem, an epidemic in this community and all of them".
"A lot of domestic violence goes unreported," Detective Superintendent O'Meagher said.
"That's why we're urging people to come forward if you are a victim of domestic violence."
Domestic violence can be reported in the ACT by attending a police station or calling 131 444.
Police said people could also access a range of support services.
