A relative of a loved former music teacher, found dead after an intense house fire, will spend at least the next eight weeks behind bars, charged with murder.
Christopher David Grantham faced court on Thursday after a 15-hour manhunt ended on board a NSW Central Coast train, with a machete allegedly found down his pants.
The 50-year-old, who also faces a domestic violence-related charge of destroying or damaging property with intent to endanger life and another count of armed robbery, did not apply for bail when he appeared in Gosford Local Court on Thursday morning.
He was remanded in custody until he faces court again on July 30.
Police allege Grantham set an inner-west Sydney home alight about 4am on Wednesday before robbing a service station soon after, threatening staff with a machete and demanding cigarettes.
Firefighters recovered the body of an 80-year-old former pastor and music teacher after extinguishing the blaze at the Croydon home.
A 15-hour manhunt for Grantham ended on a Central Coast train, with the machete allegedly found down his pants.
The men, and an elderly woman who left the home about three hours before the fire, are believed to be related.
"It's just such an awful set of circumstances," Superintendent Christine McDonald told reporters on Thursday.
"(The victim) was such a beautiful person, a great community man.
"My thoughts go out to not only the immediate family, but the wider community, because I know from the text messages that I've received that this has had a rippling effect throughout our entire community."
Six trucks and almost two dozen firefighters responded to the Wednesday morning fire, entering the back of the property because of "intense" flames at the front of the single-story, red-brick house.
Part of the roof collapsed as firefighters were inside, forcing them to retreat, Fire and Rescue NSW said.
Footage taken after the blaze shows a large portion of the roof caved in at the Irrara Street home.
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