Father of five tourists allegedly stabs wife to death in Australia while children witness in horror

A father-of-five on a family holiday in Australia who allegedly stabbed his wife to death in front of their children following a violent argument has finally been identified.

Rimoni Muliaga, 42, has been charged with the murder of Lise Muliaga, who died in Melton, a northwest suburb of Melbourne, on September 18.

The family, including children aged between five and 14, had left their New Zealand home to visit Mr Muliaga’s brother Daniel.

A court previously heard that the couple’s children, as well as Daniel’s younger children, witnessed the alleged attack at the Sutherland Avenue home.

Mr. Muliaga’s identity had already been suppressed by the court because his wife is from Samoa, where it is customary for the village chief to inform his relatives of a death.

The prosecutor requested a temporary restraining order so that this custom could be followed rather than the family potentially learning about it through the media.

That order expired this week, with a hearing in a Victorian court on Friday. Mr. Muliaga suffered from mental health problems, reports the Herald Sun.

The couple had been married for 13 years, and social media posts showed the family looked healthy and happy.

The court heard that fingernail scraping and saliva DNA evidence collected from Ms Muliaga would form part of the case against her husband.

Neighbors told reporters they heard an argument and then screaming before emergency crews were called to the scene.

Mr. Muliaga will next appear in court on January 23.