Sixteen-year-old Jayde Kendall was last seen in southeast Queensland's Lockyer Valley on Friday, August 14, 2015. Photo / AAP
Sixteen-year-old Jayde Kendall was last seen in southeast Queensland's Lockyer Valley on Friday, August 14, 2015. Photo / AAP
Schoolgirl killer Brenden Jacob Bennetts allegedly tried to strangle three of his former girlfriends while they were having sex, a court has heard.
Bennetts is on trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court for the murder of Queensland 16-year-old Jayde Kendall after the prosecution rejected his guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
The jury on Monday heard Jayde was last seen alive getting into Bennetts' distinctive red Toyota Corolla after school on Friday, August 14, 2015.
A drawing of Brenden Bennetts during his court appearance today. Photo / AAP
Her father Bruce Morrissey reported her missing to police that night after he realised she never showed up for her evening shift at McDonald's.
Prosecutor Vicki Loury QC said Bennetts, then aged 18, had little contact with Jayde until the night before she disappeared when the pair started texting and sharing images on Snapchat.
Loury said Jayde was driven away from Gatton, 90km east of Brisabne, by Bennetts and would be "dead by 5pm".
The court was told Bennetts initially lied to detectives that he had been in contact with Jayde, despite leaving a trail of text messages.
The jury heard Jayde was last seen alive getting into Bennetts' distinctive red Toyota Corolla after school. Photo / AAP
The high school student's body was found 13 days later covered in grass in a field on the outskirts of town.
The court heard Jayde's remains were too badly decomposed to determine a cause of death but her underwear was found in her tracksuit pocket and she was not wearing any shoes or socks.
A forensic pathologist is expected to testify the hyoid bone in Jayde's neck was fractured, an injury consistent with manual strangulation, however the teen did suffer a congenital defect so the bone appeared differently.
Two presumptive tests of a swab from Jayde's vagina also returned positive for seminal fluid but there were no traces of male DNA.
Loury said three of Bennetts' ex-girlfriends would testify he had tried to strangle them while they were having sex.
All three women are expected to give evidence they kicked or pushed Bennetts away when he wrapped his hands around their throats.
Bruce Morrissey (centre), Denis Morrissey (2nd right) father and grandfather respectively of murdered teenager Jayde Kendall, and other family members, leave the Supreme Court in Brisbane. Photo / AAP
Police guard a road leading to the location of the body of dead teenager Jayde Kendall outside of Gatton. Photo / AAP
The court was told Jayde was a hard-working girl who loved studying, was not into partying and wanted to grow up to be a rich psychologist so she could buy her dad and younger brother a house.
Earlier, Loury said Bennetts, then aged 18, had little contact with Jayde until the evening before she disappeared when the pair started texting and sharing images on Snapchat.
The court heard Jayde messaged Bennetts on the Friday morning saying she was nervous.
"I'm sure the (nerves) will go once things heat up," Bennetts said.
"Let's just take things slowly to start with," Jayde said.
Mourners react during a memorial service for killed teenager Jayde Kendall in Gatton, west of Brisbane. Photo / AAP
Loury said Bennetts texted Jayde's pin number to himself at 3.58pm, just over half an hour after he was seen picking her up in Gatton.
Various people saw Bennetts returning to town after 4.30pm without anyone else in his car and he was captured on CCTV withdrawing $70 from her bank account at a Commonwealth ATM just after 6pm.
Loury said Bennetts initially told investigators he had no contact with Jayde, but when shown evidence to the contrary told them he picked her up because she wanted to runaway and asked him to withdraw the cash.
The court heard Jayde's disappearance became a homicide investigation after her wallet was found by a member of the public on the side of the highway and her bank account was not touched on pay day.
Bennetts, now aged 21, has pleaded not guilty to murder and remains in custody.
