An accused murderer made two short calls to the man charged with helping her on the night Dale Watene was killed.
Sandy Maree Graham (32) is charged with his murder at Otautau on April 16, 2020.
George Ivor Hyde (24) is charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder at Otautau between April 16 and 27, 2020.
Mr Watene’s body was found in the Longwood Forest, buried in a shallow grave, about a month after he went missing.
On Monday, Graham’s counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner said in her opening statement that Mr Watene had been shot but it was not done on purpose nor with murderous intent.
Hyde’s counsel Fiona Guy Kidd QC said on Monday her client had helped bury Mr Watene but did not know he had possibly been murdered at the time.
Yesterday, jurors continued watching a DVD of Graham’s police interview when she was questioned by Sergeant Fred Shandley on May 6.
During the interview, Sgt Shandley asked Graham about two short phone calls, one made at 9.36pm for 34 seconds and the other 9.50pm lasting 36 seconds.
She said the reason for the calls was to tell Hyde about a man kicking her fence and the other to find out how to download movies.
When being questioned by Detective Kerry Russell in an interview on the same day, Hyde was also asked about the calls, one which put his phone located at Tuatapere and the second which located the phone between Tuatapere and Otautau.
"Maybe she told me to come over for a drink," he told police.
During Graham’s interview, she was asked about a 111 hang-up call which was made about 8pm on April 16.
She said it must have been one of her children who made the call by pushing the emergency call button on her mobile phone after they heard a man kicking the gate outside.
She admitted texting Constable Nigel Watkinson at 8.48pm asking him if he was on duty.
He replied saying he was busy but texted her later to ask her if everything was all right.
At 9.46pm she replied saying that all was good and the family were tucked up.
Sgt Shandley asked about Mr Watene’s phone which telecommunication data showed had been at her house on the night of April 16.
Between 9.19pm and 9.37pm, when the phone was switched off, data put the phone at Graham’s house, at Mr Watene’s truck for a few minutes then back at Graham’s address.
Between 9.30 and 9.35pm nine unanswered calls were made to Graham’s phone from Mr Watene’s phone — the phone still located at her address.
She said he was not at her house and he might have made them from outside.
Sgt Shandley also asked Graham about a blackout blanket which was seen hanging at her garage between April 15 and 17.
"Because I was probably smoking dope in my garage," she said.
She could not remember a vehicle speeding away from her address on the Thursday or Friday evening.
Hyde told Det Russell he worked from 7am to 7.30pm on April 16 then went home.
The following day he went to Graham’s house and spent a couple of hours in Longwood Forest taking the dog for a walk and getting firewood, he told police.
Det Russell asked what Graham appeared to be like on April 17.
"She was good, normal," Hyde replied.
When asked why his phone was turned off between 9.53pm and 12.02am on April 16 and 17, he said the battery must have gone flat while he was at Graham’s and he must have put it on to charge it in his vehicle on the way home.
The trial continues today.
