Grandmother thought death threat *silly* (AAP)

When a Darwin man told his grandmother he was going to kill his partner, she did not believe him, a Northern Territory court has heard.

But a few hours later the woman, who cannot be named, was dead.

Conway Stevenson, 27, has been charged with murder over the November 26 incident at the Bagot Aboriginal community in Darwin.

"He was so, so aggressive each time he drank. He liked to fight," his grandmother Patsy Rose told a committal hearing on Wednesday.

The court had previously heard the victim had stripped naked at dusk and ran screaming around the community in order to get Stevenson's attention.

Witness and friend Tyrone Holmes said he believed Stevenson had been cheating on her, and the couple were known to fight.

But when he told Ms Rose he was going to kill his partner, she thought it was just an expression.

"I'm used to him saying that all the time ... I never thought he'd do it," she said.

She thought it was "silly talk".

Mr Holmes told the court the victim seemed disoriented and confused as she ran around naked.

He said he saw Stevenson swing a milk crate towards her head, threatening to kill her and telling her, "Go away, f*** off, go home", as she screamed for help.

Later that evening, he saw Stevenson walking alone with a woman he could not identify.

He did not witness the victim's death, but said Stevenson came to his home with swollen, bloody knuckles and said he had been fighting.

He said the community was calling Stevenson a murderer shortly after finding out his partner had died.

The hearing continues.

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