Accused Gerogery killer said death 'quick, painless, like a sheep'

A man is standing trial in the Wagga Supreme Court over the alleged murder of William Chaplin in Gerogery in early 2010.

The man was a teenager in 2010 and can't be identified.

In calls played to the jury on Monday, the man at first told his mum the police weren't looking for him, and told her to relax, but later became emotional and said he was the "number one suspect".

His mother asked him about what he had told his father about a cut to the throat.

The man replied that he'd told him it was "quick, painless, like a sheep".

Jury members had previously heard conversations between the man and his parents in mid-August 2019.

In a recording played last week, the man told his mother "I killed him".

In a conversation with his father, the man said "I cut his throat".

Monday's trial heard more recordings, including one on August 31, 2019.

The accused man said he was having nightmares.

His mother said she had googled "missing persons Gerogery" and had seen a few stories, including one in the Townsville Bulletin about a Townsville link to the case.

The man later said he was that link to the case.

The man read out that detectives were appealing for public information about William Chaplin.

"Oh f---, it's got a photo of him mum," he said.

His mum said "there's photos everywhere".

The man told his dad on September 1 a dam search should have found a knife.

He said an older man, who can't be named, had "pulled a gun on me, kill or be killed, you have two options".

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His father said "you've hid this for all these years because you are so afraid of this man" and urged his son to "throw it back to him" and come clean.

"He is the only ---- I am scared of in this world," the man on trial said in the phone call.

He told his father the other man was "one of the hitmen for the Jokers, the Gypsy Jokers", and said he used to "boot me up".

"He was the one who got me started on gear."

In a call to his mother the same day, the man said he was going to hand himself in to police.

"All the pictures online brought back memories," he said and said he'd been having flashbacks.

Family members encouraged him to talk to police.

"I'm the number one suspect mum," the accused man said.

"I spoke to detectives on Friday."

The man said he'd "left all this s--- behind me 10 years ago".

"I don't know what to do mum, I'm scared," he said.

The man said "there's only one person I'm scared of in this f---en world, and I'm about to rat him out".

When asked about the throat cutting comments, the man's mother told the court on Monday that her son had made up stories and lies since a young age and agreed she didn't know what to believe.

Another witness said the older man, who was also allegedly involved in the murder, had spoken to him while he was using the man's Playstation 2 at his Gerogery home.

"I killed him because he was trying to rape my daughter," the witness said in a statement about what the man said.

He told the court it made him feel worried but didn't believe it was true.

He said the comment "always stayed with me".

The trial continues.

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