Man tried to burn body in garage, court hears
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A SEBASTOPOL man accused of bludgeoning his flat-mate to death dragged the victim through their Ripon St Sth unit the garage and set it alight to dispose of the body, a court heard yesterday.
The man then allegedly fled the scene, breaking into a vacant unit in Wendouree where he spent the following night hiding from police.
Lister Cameron McMahon, 37, formerly of Howard St, appeared in the Ballarat Supreme Court yesterday, charged with the murder of 29-year-old Grant Robert Plier.
Plier's bruised and bloodied body was found in the burnt-out garage of his unit on April 6, 2000.
An autopsy revealed he had suffered heavy blows and wounds to the forehead, temple region, back of the head, face, chest, arms, wrists and legs.
McMahon, who is also charged with arson, has pleaded not guilty to both offences.
Crown prosecutor Julian Leckie said at the time of the murder, both McMahon and Plier were living together at unit 2, 517 Ripon St Sth, Ballarat.
Mr Leckie said evidence suggested the initial assault took place in the deceased man's bedroom as pools and sprays of blood were located in the area.
The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Plier, Dr David Leo Ranson, said the victim's injuries suggested he was dead prior to the fire being lit.
Dr Ranson said Plier had been bashed around the head and stabbed in the neck and chest.
''The Crown says the accused dragged the deceased man's body through the house and along the passageway ... to the back door and into the garage,'' Mr Leckie said.
''He put the deceased on the concrete floor of the garage in between two mattresses. He then set fire to the mattresses, apparently to burn that area down.''
Mr Leckie said neighbours were alerted to the scene by an explosion in the garage around 7.25pm.
The court heard McMahon told police he was asleep in the unit when the murder took place.
The jury was yesterday taken to the murder site to gain a better understanding of the evidence before them.
The trial, before Justice Bongiorno, continues today.