TWO people accused of bludgeoning Rodney Willis to death in his home at The Rock allegedly stole $30,000 from the pensioner's bank account, Wagga Local Court has heard.
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Angela Syme, 25, and her partner Taina David Syme, 23, remain in custody after they were refused bail by Magistrate Michael Antrum yesterday.
The co-accused, from The Rock, made separate appearances via audio-visual link (AVL) from the Junee Correctional Centre after being charged with murder on Sunday.
Ms Syme sobbed as her toddler daughters were mentioned.
At times she cupped her hands over her face, was seen crossing her fingers and, at one stage, mouthed the words "please God".
An application for bail was made on Ms Syme's behalf by solicitor Selwyn Hausman, due to her personal circumstances and the "scant" nature of evidence against her.
Mr Hausman told the court she had a one-year-old who was currently being breastfed and another young child on medication.
As he did, Ms Syme could be heard sobbing loudly.
Both children are being looked after by her parents and concerns were raised about their ongoing care.
Mr Hausman said there was "no independent evidence" connecting Ms Syme to the incident and that the injuries sustained by Mr Willis were yet to be established as the cause of death.
In opposing bail, Crown representative Rennae Gee said, while Ms Syme wasn't wielding the weapon, it is alleged she instructed Mr Syme to commit the murder.
"It was a violent attack on an elderly man in his own home," Ms Gee said.
Mr Willis sustained "multiple injuries to his head through a series of blows with a steel pipe or similar implement", according to police facts tendered to the court.
Police allege the pair fraudulently obtained $30,000 from Mr Willis's bank account with the intention of using it to move to Melbourne and that they killed him when he discovered the missing money before they could leave.
The 76-year-old had been living in a granny flat at the Scott Street property - which is currently home to his nephew.
Police facts indicate Mr Syme had been friends with the nephew for some time and the family had moved in with him at the start of the year.
Investigators have established that the attack occurred in the living room of Mr Willis's granny flat before he was dragged into his bedroom.
It's alleged he was then subjected to further knocks to the head.
Police say there was "some considerable time delay" between the two attacks and the second was carried out at the request of Ms Syme to ensure Mr Willis died.
Mr Willis was later found by his nephew lying on the floor, a pool of blood around his head.
As the nephew called triple-0, police allege Mr Syme fled by catching a train to Melbourne because he had an outstanding warrant for breaching a previous community service order issued in Sydney.
No application for bail was made on behalf of Mr Syme, who was dealt with in a matter of minutes.
He sat relatively motionless during his appearance and faced a separate charge of using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence.
Both will reappear in Wagga Local Court via AVL on July 16, with a brief of evidence to be served by July 7.
The court was told the extensive amount of forensic material could take some time to compile.