The wife of a French tourist who was brutally murdered in the Northern Territory tried desperately to save her husband.
Philippe Jegouzo, 33, and his wife Aurelie Chorier were standing at a rest stop when Pande Veleski, 35, allegedly pulled up and stabbed the man in the neck, reports News.com.au.
The NT News reports that Ms Chorier tried to fight off the attacker by hitting him on the head with a picnic table.
Veleski then allegedly fled in his car and police found him 16 hours later naked in bushland where he was taken into police custody and has today been charged with murder.
The attack was believed to be unprovoked, with the couple exchanging brief small talk with the man before he pulled out the knife.
Mr Jegouzo was left in a pool of blood and his wife managed to flag a couple down, the wife, a nurse, tried frantically to revive him while her husband drove 30km to the nearest roadhouse for help.
Unfortunately Mr Jegouzo could not be saved and he died at the scene. Ms Chorier was unharmed but was taken to hospital where she was treated for shock.