A fourth person has been charged with murder after an allegedly targeted home invasion and fatal stabbing at Lake Macquarie.
Logan Whalan, 20, briefly fronted a bail court on Friday, August 21, where his defence solicitor made no application for his release.
Whalan sat silently as Judge James Viney ordered him to remain in custody while homicide squad detectives continued compiling a brief of evidence.
The 20-year-old will next face Newcastle Local Court in October.
Police allege Whalan was part of a group, along with two 16-year-old boys and a 22-year-old man, that stormed an Argenton home on April 19.
Multiple men, at least one armed with a knife, allegedly arrived at the house on the corner of Waratah and Montgomery streets about 4am before they kicked the door down and forced their way in.
Jake Roarty, 38, was allegedly savagely bashed and stabbed multiple times before the group fled, leaving him for dead.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated Roarty but he died at the scene.
Lake Macquarie police established a crime scene before the investigation was handed over to the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad.
Strike Force Blave was launched to piece together the alleged murder.
The four arrests came after police issued public appeals for information and released CCTV footage from a Mayfield service station.
Extensive investigations led police to carry out coordinated raids at Birmingham Gardens, Waratah and Windale about 6am on July 15.
Daniel Cavanagh, 22, was arrested at that time and charged with murder.
Strike force detectives then arrested two 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named, at Gosford Police Station on August 6.
They were both charged with murder. One was also charged with failing to comply with a digital evidence access direction.
Those three were refused bail after their arrest and remain before the courts.
Following further investigations, strike force detectives arrested Whalan just before 10am on Thursday, August 20, at Newcastle Police Station.
He has not been required to enter a plea to one count of murder.
The Argenton killing was the second alleged murder at Lake Macquarie within eight hours on that weekend, with a 47-year-old woman allegedly stabbed to death at Windale.
Anyone with information about the Argenton home invasion is urged to contact Lake Macquarie or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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