A man gunned down in a suburban Unanderra street developed a paranoia that his girlfriend was having an affair with the man who would later be accused of murdering him, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Matthew Spinks, 35, is fighting allegations he intentionally killed Nathan Costello, 33, on February 14, 2018 when he shot two bullets, from his car, through Costello's parked car in the early hours of the morning.
The jury in the Supreme Court murder trial heard Spinks admitted to shooting Costello while he was standing on the verge outside his friend's Carr Parade home.
Spinks claims he did not intend to kill Costello.
The Crown alleges Spinks deliberately shot Costello in "revenge" after he went to Spinks' Koonawarra home on February 5, 2018 and threatened him, armed with a knife.
An agreed set of facts tendered to court said Costello was schizophrenic and on or around February 5 developed a paranoia that his partner Melanie Hazell was sleeping with Spinks.
That morning, Spinks made four phone calls to Triple 0 about the presence of a man, armed with a knife, at his Echuca Crescent home at 8.35am, 8.42am, 8.59am and 9.33am.
During the phone calls, which were played in court, Spinks told the police operator his name was Peter, refused to give his last name, lied that it was not his house and did not say Costello was the man armed with a knife.
"Do you know him," the operator asked. "No" Spinks replied.
"Does he still have a knife?" the operator asked. "Yeah," Spinks said
"If police come out are you happy to speak to them," the operator said. "No" Spinks replied.
During the third call Spinks said the man left in a taxi and told the operator to cancel the job but a short time later told her "he's back...I can see him".
When asked whether Spinks thought the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said, "100 per cent".
Spinks also told the operator the man was "going to smash the house" and "he is kicking the door in".
Meanwhile, crime scene officer Detective Senior Sergeant Gregory Moon explained police photos taken at Carr Parade to the jury.
Det Snr Sgt Moon said there was a "blood saturation stain" on the grass near the car.
He said the stain indicated Costello had been on the ground in that spot for a period of time but could not indicate where he was shot or if he had been moved for medical intervention.
He also described photos showing the shotgun bullet holes in Costello's car, as well as that pellets had caused damage to the down pipe on the wall of the house.
The trial continues.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.