A WITNESS saw two teenage boys charged with murder fighting on the night of the alleged crime, a Supreme Court jury has been told.
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Two teens are standing trial in Bendigo after pleading not guilty to the murder of John Bourke.
The court heard the 45-year-old was found dead in his Derby Road home on July 15, 2018.
A witness told the court she was with the two boys at the house party near Mr Bourke's home on the night of July 14, 2018.
The court heard she went to the front yard of the property that night after noticing one of the accused boys was gone.
The witness told jurors after moving to the front yard, she heard banging sounds coming from a house nearby.
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The witness said she then saw the two accused boys walking up the footpath from the same direction the noises had come from.
The witness told jurors the boys were arguing and she heard one of the boys say, "I'm not going away for it."
The boys started fighting, the jury was told, and the witness said she called out for help to break up the altercation.
The witness told the court as she guided one of the boys back into the party, he asked her if he was a bad person.
A witness statement was also read to the court from a neighbour who found Mr Bourke's body on the morning of July 15, 2018.
The court heard the neighbour noticed Mr Bourke's porch light was on and front door left ajar about 10am that day.
The witness told jurors he continued on his errands and didn't take note of the door when he returned home about 20 minutes later.
It was only about 12.40pm, the court was told, that the witness noticed the front door was still open.
The witness told jurors he walked up the steps to Mr Bourke's front porch and saw the front door was "broken open".
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The court heard the witness saw a set of crutches lying on the floor in the entryway.
The witness told jurors he entered the home and saw Mr Bourke lying unresponsive on the ground.
The court heard there was blood on his face, as well as on the crutches and the floor.
The witness told jurors he knew Mr Bourke was dead so he returned home to call police.
The witness said he did not see or hear anything unusual the night before.
The first police officer who assessed the crime scene also gave evidence to the jury.
Maryborough First Constable Dale Salathiel told jurors he arrived at Mr Bourke's Derby Road home at 12.49pm on July 15.
First Constable Salathiel said he noted there were dirty footprints on the porch and damage to the front door's wooden frame.
The police officer told jurors he then noted Mr Bourke's body lying face-up on the ground in the entryway.
The court heard First Constable Salathiel cordoned off the crime scene until detectives arrived.
The trial will continue in Bendigo on Monday.
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