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John Collins, charged with murder, beat Brent Bacon with a cricket bat until it broke, then changed his story to explain the bloody crime scene, a jury heard.
The 39-year-old man denies killing the 45-year-old Bacon, claiming it was in self-defense.
There was no question that Collins killed Bacon before dumping his body in a remote location, defense attorney Len Andersen QC said.
But what was in dispute was what happened in the living room of Collins’ Dunedin home on the night of February 4, 2019.
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* Death of a cricket bat – Defendant claims victim was armed with scissors and a ‘mean look’
* The body in a sleeping bag and the broken cricket bat
* Large pool of blood found after desperate relative broke into their home, jury said.
The self-defense claim was previously rejected by the Crown, which summarized its case in Dunedin Superior Court on Monday.
“Mr. Bacon’s head tells you everything you need to know,” Crown Prosecutor Richard Smith told the jury.
Half of Bacon’s skull was crushed in the assault, and 30 remains were found inside his head after his seriously decomposing body was forensically analyzed several weeks after his death.
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
Inspectors Shona Low and Steve Wood address the media after a homicide in Dunedin in February 2019.
Bacon’s extensive injuries were caused by repeated hitting, and people were not given a “blank check” for the force they used when claiming self-defense, Smith said.
Collins hit Bacon, potentially four or more times, with a cricket bat, but claimed that was not his intention.
“How could that be a reasonable force?” Smith asked of the assault, which left the bat broken.
That, along with Collins uninjured, effectively ruled out his self-defense claim, Smith said.
But Andersen said there were two sides to Brent, he had a violent background, and his “junkie” side was there the night he died.
Supplied / Givealittle
Brent Bacon died in a home on Lock St, in the Dunedin suburb of St Clair, on February 4, 2019.
Andersen said that Bacon was agitated and paranoid the night of his death, and came to Collins armed with a pair of scissors.
The scissors were found at the site but were never tested.
“You cannot rule out that possibility,” Andersen told the jury.
Collins hit Bacon with the object closest to him, a cricket bat, but Bacon threatened him again, so Collins hit again, Andersen said.
Collins later attempted to clean up the crime scene, but left the cricket bat behind before dumping Bacon’s body near a country road about 30 miles north of Dunedin.
Bacon had defensive hand injuries and even left a bloody imprint on the bat, Smith said.
In the Collins police interview, he claimed that Bacon attacked him with clenched fists, but later said the victim attacked him with scissors and said, “I’m going to kill you.
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
The scene on Lock St, St Clair, after a murder investigation was launched.
It also changed crucial elements of the story regarding how he swung the cricket bat, which “just wasn’t plausible,” Smith said.
Collins later dismissed the police interview as a “meth-fueled spiel.”
Smith noted that Collins admitted throughout the interview that he was “screwed up.”
But Andersen said Collins expressed surprise in his interview with police that it was a murder investigation.
Collins claimed Bacon was thrown in two sleeping bags but was found in one, which was another example of drug addict thinking, Andersen said.
Collins took the stand in his defense during the five-day trial, but Smith claimed his comments seemed well-rehearsed.
Smith told the jury that the Crown did not need to prove Collins’ motive, but that there were nevertheless potential motives for Collins to kill Bacon.
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
The road where Brent Bacon’s body was found north of Dunedin.
Collins was addicted to methamphetamine and was possibly upset that Bacon refused to take him to Balclutha to obtain the drug.
Bacon, unlike Collins, had a job and money, and the defendant took his cash to buy drugs as he fled north with his wife.
But Andersen questioned why his client would kill a man for just $ 100.
Smith said the only time Collins showed any emotion was during a police interview regarding a man who once made lewd comments about his wife, Aleisha Dawson.
Collins was also irritated by Bacon and had previously threatened to beat him up for comments made about Dawson.
Smith previously told the jury that Bacon’s drug use was not relevant, nor was his conviction for domestic violence.
Judge Jan-Marie Doogue will summarize the case on Tuesday, before the jury leaves to deliberate on its verdict.
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
Messages written on a bricked up door at Collins’ Lock St home after Bacon’s death.
