The trial for the two people accused of being involved in the murder of 40-year-old Dale Watene began before Justice Gerald Nation in the High Court at Invercargill on Monday.
Sandy Maree Graham (32) is charged with his murder at Otautau on April 16, 2020.
George Ivor Hyde (24) is charged with accessory after the fact to murder at Otautau between April 16 and 27, 2020.
Mr Watene’s body was found about a month after he went missing in the Longwood Forest buried in a shallow grave.
On Monday, defence lawyer for Graham, Sarah Saunderson-Warner, said in her opening statement that Mr Watene had been shot but it was not done on purpose nor with murderous intent
In it she said she believed it was her child who must have made the call to police about 8pm on April 16.
She believed they may have pushed the emergency call button on her mobile phone when they heard a man kicking the gate outside.
They had woken up and were scared, she said.
The phone call was ended before it was answered.
Graham admitted texting Constable Nigel Watkinson at 8.48pm, asking him if he was on duty. He replied saying he was busy but texted her back later to ask her if everything was okay.
She replied at 9.46pm, saying that all was good and the family were tucked up.
Det Shandley asked about Mr Watene’s phone which telecommunication data showed had been at her house on the night of April 16.
"At 9.19pm his phone leaves the vicinity of your house and goes to where the Moo (Mr Watene’s truck) was located, for a few minutes.
"At 9.25pm his phone moves back to Graham’s address.
"At 9.26pm Mr Watene’s account has searched the names George and George Hyde on Facebook, while the phone was at Graham’s house.
"Between 9.30 and 9.35pm nine unanswered calls were made to Graham’s phone from Mr Watene’s phone – the phone still located at her address."
Graham replied during the interview asking why would he make calls standing outside her house. “I’m sorry but he was not at my house, I can’t answer you that.”
At 9.37pm, Mr Watene’s phone was switched off, Det Shandley said.
On April 18 police contacted Graham to see if she knew of Mr Watene’s whereabouts.
She told Det Shandley she told them she did not, but offered to message him.
“I sent Dale a message saying ‘everyone was looking for you, where the f**k are you up to’.”
When asked by Det Shandley where she thought Mr Watene had gone when he didn’t return on Thursday, April 16, she replied: "I thought he was on a bender or something, I hadn’t seen him around."
At the time of the interview she believed Mr Watene had run away from his problems.
Det Shandley also asked Graham about blackout blanket which was seen hung at her garage between April 15 and 17.
"Because I was probably smoking dope in my garage," she said.
She could not remember a vehicle speeding away from her address on April 16 and 17.
The trial continues.
- By Karen Pasco, PIJF court reporter
