A group of nine people have appeared in court charged with murder over the assault and fatal stabbing of a 37-year-old mother in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.
The six women and three men were previously charged with assault occasioning bodily harm after Debbie Combarngo's beaten body was found in a McGregor Street unit in the Toowoomba suburb of Wilsonton on May 6.
She died in Toowoomba Base Hospital later that day.
All nine appeared in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court late this afternoon, where family members in the public gallery sobbed.
Several of the accused were also in tears.
One of the accused men yelled: "I love you, my family."
His mother responded from the public gallery: "Stay strong, my son."
One of the female accused yelled: "Tell my kids I love them."
None applied for bail and they were remanded in custody, to appear in court again on July 5.
At an earlier hearing, the court was told the mother was allegedly beaten with a golf club, hammer and metal poles before she was stabbed in the chest in a group attack.
Ms Combarngo's death inflamed tensions in the local Indigenous community, with a magistrate threatening to throw noisy supporters out of the court room.
Members of Ms Combarngo's family told the ABC "there was a lot of hatred in the area" following her killing.
There were fears also of possible revenge attacks.
Police had previously said they laid initial charges pending more detailed interviews with the nine accused over what led up to the violent confrontation.
The youngest of the accused is a 23-year-old woman, the oldest is a 32-year-old man.
Along with the murder charges, they face charges of assault and entering a dwelling with intent in company.
At least two of the women, 28-year-old Jana Leigh Hall and 29-year-old Rhianna Jade Fing, were released on bail during a previous court hearing.
At the time, Acting Magistrate Robert Walker told the Toowoomba Magistrates Court evidence placed the women at the unit where Ms Combarngo was assaulted, but not in the room.
Each of the two women is the mother of six children.
They were released with strict reporting and curfew conditions.
Seven other people have been in custody since the original charges were laid.
Lynn Anderson, Shiralee Fernando, Ashley Fing, Rhianna Fing, Ty Fing, Christine Hall, Rhonda Hall and Joshua Lingwoodock were remanded behind bars to reappear in court again in July.
