But the police won’t say what body part.

Apparently the killer got into a fight with an older drinking buddy and attacked him with a hatchet (small axe, tomahawk, whatever). During the attack, the older guy was killed, and a body part severed.

The younger guy left his mate’s body in his (the mate’s) house, but took the body part to another neighbours house and dropped it there. Then returned to the older guy’s house (sorry if this is getting a little complicated) and set fire to it. He then died from asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation.

I can’t work out why he dropped the mysterious body part at the neighbours. Was it a gift, like a cat bringing home a lizard’s head? Or a warning – if you don’t buy the next round this could be you? Or was he asking the neighbour to watch over his souvenir while he went back and got rid of the evidence? No doubt these are the questions Tasmanian police are asking themselves at this very moment.

I like having interesting neighbours, but axe murders, fires and severed body parts sound a little too interesting.