A lonely father-of-five was only in a shopping mall because he was desperate for company when he was allegedly attacked by a stranger who slit his throat.
Car fanatic Michael Eaton, 51, had recently split with his wife and was an early morning regular at Cairns Central Shopping Centre to chat with shop staff.
He was allegedly attacked on the ground floor about 8am Wednesday before businesses had even opened for the day.
The 'laidback and easy going' man was allegedly confronted by a 38 year old stranger who moments later came up behind him and slashed his throat.
Mr Eaton died in a pool of blood 20 minutes later.
The alleged killer is said to be former Australian Defence Force reservist, Nick Boak.
Detective Acting Inspector Kev Goan (pictured) said victim Michael Eaton, whose five children are all adults, was at the mall because he was unable to work for health reasons
He is believed to have been living on Fitzroy Island for the last three months before flying into Cairns earlier this week.
Boak, 38, did not appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on Thursday to face one count of murder after court staff were told he posed a safety risk.
His duty lawyer Natasha Jackson said Boak told her from the watch house that he wanted to attend court in person for the hearing
But court watch house staff had concerns about moving Mr Boak to the courtroom, said police prosecutor Codi Dalley.
'He presents an extreme risk to watch house staff,' she told the court, reported the ABC. 'We would require
