Police were called to the quiet street in Avalon on Sydney's northern beaches on Monday morning after neighbours heard a woman screaming.
They arrived at the Marine Parade home, owned by Australian supermodel Gemma Ward, to find the body of 50-year-old Lanell Latta at the property about 10.45am.
Joel Woszatka, 25, was arrested a short time later in nearby Ruskin Rowe.
Mr Woszatka was taken to Manly police station, where he was later charged with murder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was refused bail and will appear before Manly Local Court on Tuesday.
Police are investigating whether drugs may have been a factor in the tragedy, reported Nine News.
Georgia Westwood, a neighbour, told the ABC that she heard a disturbance.
"I was sitting on my balcony just having breakfast and I heard a scream and a couple of minutes later I saw a man running down the road," she told the ABC. "It sounded like a female."
Craig Westwood told Yahoo7 News: "I didn't know what happened until my daughter texted me, she was home and heard the screaming.
"It's horrible, in a neighbourhood like this, it's pretty quiet."
Another neighbour, Phil Jones, also heard the scream, telling News Corp: "It's not something you expect to happen around here."
A friend of Ms Latta wrote on social media that he was "numb" at hearing news of her death.
"Life is so unfair to take a beautiful caring soul ??? let there be rainbows where you are now. Love always," posted another friend.
The beachfront Marine Parade property was bought for $1.6 million last year and is owned by supermodel Ms Ward and her husband David Letts.
Ward described Ms Latta's death as "heartbreaking news" in a statement to News Corp. "My heart goes out to the family and all involved in this tragedy."
The home was rented out to Ms Latta and her two sons, aged in their 20s, over the past several years while the mother's boyfriend lived there more recently.
Ms Latta's father, Frank, who died in 2010, was a competitive surfer, a skilled surfboard designer and a character of the Australian surfing scene, according to his obituary in the Herald.
A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Fairfax Media
