A friend of murder accused Travis Burns told a jury yesterday that Burns visited him in Stanmore Bay on the morning Whangaparaoa woman Joanne McCarthy was killed.
Nicholas Saies earlier told the court that his house in Vipond Rd, Stanmore Bay, was a five-minute drive from Little Manly, where Joanne McCarthy was brutally slain and dumped in a bath of water.
Burns, aged 32, of Titirangi, is accused of murdering the 33-year-old kindergarten teacher at her home on November 12, 1998.
According to the Crown, Joanne McCarthy - who was last seen alive at 11.35 am - was killed as she prepared to feed her son, Marcus, and the child of a friend, something she did routinely between 11.30 am and noon.
Mr Saies told the court that Burns visited him at 10.30 on the morning of the killing and stayed for about 45 minutes.
He said he later wondered if Burns had been involved in the murder.
Burns told police that he had visited Mr Saies the previous day, November 11, and that was how the Crown Solicitor, Simon Moore, opened the prosecution case last week.
Mr Saies was strongly cross-examined by Mike Levett, appearing for the defence with Barry Hart, as to whether he had got the correct day.
Mr Saies agreed with Mr Levett that, following the visit, Burns' girlfriend, Teresa Brandon, had started phoning him "relentlessly" to find out where Burns was.
Mr Levett said telephone records made it clear that those calls started on November 11.
He reminded Mr Saies that in his depositions statement he had said he was not sure whether Burns' visit took place on November 12 or the day before.
Mr Saies said he was reminded of the visit because of the situation - the killing of Joanne McCarthy.
Burns told police he spent some hours planting out cannabis seedlings at Puhoi on the morning of the killing before driving to Milford, and he denied being in Whangaparaoa that day.
Friend of murder accused tells of home visit
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.