There was “very strong support” for the proposition a piece of evidence collected in relation to the murder of Long Gully man Darren Reid held the DNA of accused woman Kate Stone, the Supreme Court has heard.
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Ms Stone has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Reid, who died after he was set alight at their Long Gully home on the night of December 18, 2016.
Victoria Police forensics officer Erin Pirie told the court a DNA profile of three people was obtained from the handle of a metal container labelled ‘motor spray’.
Read more:
- Day 1: Murder trial begins for woman accused of setting partner alight
- Day 2: Murdered Bendigo man in fear for his life, mother tells court
- Day 3: Couple heard yelling in hours before fatal Long Gully fire
- Day 4: Murdered man told paramedic he did not know attacker, court hears
- Day 5: Daughter says three men set father on fire in Long Gully
- Day 6: Murder accused told police men were to blame for death
- Day 7: Man denies talking ‘revenge’ after confrontation with murdered man
- Day 8: Man not in area night of fatal Long Gully attack, court hears
- Day 9: Neighbours heard death threats before murder, court hears
- Day 10: Man tells court he was home the night of Darren Reid’s murder
- Day 11: Long Gully murder accused said she 'did it', neighbour tells court
Ms Pirie said this was compared to samples taken from Mr Reid and Ms Stone, as well as two men, Jason Baxter and Paul Gibson.
Analysis showed there was “extremely strong support” for the proposition Mr Reid was a contributor to the profile, she said, and “very strong support” for the proposition it contained Ms Stone’s DNA.
Ms Pirie said Mr Baxter and Mr Gibson were excluded as contributors.
The court heard the pair were also excluded or found not likely contributors to other DNA profiles found elsewhere on the can.
Mr Reid was the major contributor or a likely contributor to these other profiles, the court heard, while Ms Stone was likely a contributor to one and excluded from others.
Two neighbours also told the court Ms Stone admitted to killing Mr Reid. Jamie-Lee Heycox said she asked Ms Stone how she was when she came to her house about December 23, 2016. “She goes, ‘I’m fine, I did it’. Exact words,” Ms Heycox said.
She told the court Ms Stone said she put something in Mr Reid’s drink, poured something on him and set him on fire.
In cross-examination, Ms Heycox said she “had a lot going on” in her life and did not think to call the police with the information.
When defence barrister Peter Kilduff suggested Ms Stone was in Melbourne at the time this conversation was said to occur, Ms Heycox said she did speak to her.
In video evidence, Ms Heycox’s daughter said she heard a conversation involving her mother in which Ms Stone said she killed Mr Reid.
The girl told police Ms Stone said, “Yeah, I’m fine. I did it, I killed him”, and then said she drugged Mr Reid’s drink and when he went to bed, she poured petrol on him and set him alight. She said this conversation occurred a few days before Christmas.
When Mr Kilduff suggested the conversation never took place, she replied it had.
Another witness, Simon McDonald, told the court he was mistaken and referring to someone else named Darren when he told police he went to Mr Reid’s house with Jason Baxter and another man in 2016.
The trial continues.
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