Man Charged in Gruesome and Violent Killing of Queer Couple

Authorities arrested a man on Monday and charged him in the killing of a queer couple in Sydney, Australia.

Police were called to a boardinghouse on Saturday evening and found the bodies of two men, 52-year-old Steven Finlay and his partner, 32-year-old Mitch Watson, Australia's ABC Newsreports.

Authorities arrested Christopher Bouggas Monday afternoon in connection with the deaths, charging him with two counts of murder.

The news outlet reports that police believe Bouggas, 41, lived at the same boardinghouse as Finlay. Watson was known to stay over often at Finlay's residence.

The three men knew each other, according to a statement by local police.

Detective Superintendent Rodney Hart told reporters that the case was still in its beginning stages. Autopsies will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

"It was a very difficult and confronting crime scene ... both of the males had suffered significant injuries," he explained.

Hart added that one of the victims had been on the phone with emergency services while police were on their way to their location.

Finlay's body was found with a phone still in his hand, according to the Daily Mail.

The couple's neighbor Michael Hannan told ABC Newsthat Finlay was "a pleasant fellow."

"He was very nice. He'd lived here for many years with his boyfriend," Hannan said. "The younger man, he didn't like people talking to him ... he was a bit shy."

Another resident nearby, Steven Martin, told the outlet that he had heard yelling on the night the couple was killed.

"I was up most of the night," he said. "None of us knew what was going on."

The next court hearing on the case is scheduled for March 29.