A man accused of murdering his friend on the Desert Road seven years ago told his former girlfriend to lie to police about when the victim was last seen, the High Court at Wellington was told today.
Drug dealer Stephen Thomas Hudson, 39, has been charged with murdering Palmerston North man Nicholas Pike, 22, near the Desert Rd in the central North Island in March 2002.
His body has never been found.
Mr Pike's girlfriend, who later became Hudson's girlfriend, told the court today she had been in the car with the two men on the Desert Rd when Hudson ordered her to get out and wait on the side of the road.
He returned 10 to 15 minutes later without Mr Pike, she said.
Hudson told her he had a cannabis plantation in the Desert Rd and had left Mr Pike to tend to it.
He had an "evil, evil look on his face", she said.
Hudson treated Mr Pike "like shit", the woman said.
Hudson later told her he believed Mr Pike had led the police to him and was "a nark".
She said Mr Pike was "a good, decent person".
She had refused to help police investigating Mr Pike's disappearance in 2002 after Hudson convinced her the police were "no good", but began cooperating with police in 2007.
She denied trying to claim any of the $50,000 reward offered for information on the case, when questioned by Crown prosecutor Mike Antunovic.
Earlier, another witness told the court Mr Pike was a "dodgy fella" who ran errands on Hudson's behalf.
The man told the court Hudson and Mr Pike had stayed with him in Mount Maunganui in early 2002.
Mr Pike was uncomfortable and nervous, and "never said a word to anyone", the witness said.
Mr Pike drove Hudson around and "was his boy", the witness said, meaning Mr Pike would run errands on his behalf.
"If Steve wanted something he'd tell Nick to go get it."
At the start of the trial on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk said defendant and victim had met in Palmerston North, where Hudson had supplied Mr Pike with cannabis to sell.
Their relationship became tense in late 2001 when Hudson was on the run from police, wanted for selling and manufacturing cannabis oil.
Defence lawyer Steve Winter argued Hudson could not have killed Mr Pike because he had been staying with family in Masterton from March 15, 2002, three days before the alleged murder took place.
The trial was expected to last five to six weeks.
