A MAN on trial for the gruesome murder of a farm labourer near Griffith in 2009 took elaborate measures to cover his involvement in the crime, a Supreme Court jury in Albury heard yesterday.
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Crown prosecutor Peter McGrath outlined the cirumstances leading to the death of Ranjodh Singh, 26, who was stabbed in the lower back, had his throat cut twice and was set alight after being doused with petrol.
The man accused of his murder is former friend Harpreet Singh, 26.
But the jury of seven women and five men was told there was a falling out after Ranjodh Singh demanded money owed by Harpreet Singh, who celebrated his birthday on December 28, 2009.
A party was held that evening at a Griffith flat where two others from the Indian community, Gurpreet Singh and his girlfriend Harpreet Kaur Bhullar, lived.
Mr McGrath said Harpreet Singh became incensed, punched and kicked Ranjodh Singh and told him: “You dog, I will kill you”.
Some time later Ranjodh Singh was put in a red Ford car owned and driven by Bhullar, with Harpreet and Gurpreet Singh also in the car.
Motorists along the Wilga Road saw the dead man’s remains the next morning.
Police did extensive forensic testing in a bid to identify the deceased who had a blood-alcohol level of .153 per cent.
Mr McGrath said Harpreet Singh was the murderer and that Gurpreet Singh and Bhullar were present when the killing happened.
He said Harpreet Singh was holding a knife when he got back into the vehicle and said in Punjabi: “I have done the job”.
Harpreet Singh told Bhullar to take the vehicle to a car wash where it was cleaned at 3.18am on December 29. Police later obtained closed-circuit footage.
Singh cleaned a large knife when he returned to the flat and washed or soaked his jeans.
He made threats to Gurpreet Singh and Bhullar to keep quiet.
Harpreet Singh asked them to take him to catch a bus to Wagga and said they should vacuum the car and put new tyres on it.
Police seized Bhullar’s car on January 3, 2010, for forensic testing.
Gurpreet Singh and Bhullar tried to catch a flight out of the country in Sydney but were stopped.
Each have since pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Mr McGrath said they were the key witnesses in the prosecution case.
But defence barrister Michael King described them as liars with powerful incentives to avoid telling the truth.
“It is our case that they will tell you a pack of lies,” Mr King told the jury.
The trial before Justice Ian Harrison is expected to last about four weeks.
