Yahoo Finance ‘I’m devo’: Texts after woodchipper death
Chilling audio of a woman accused of masterminding the murder of her ex-partner by having him fed to a woodchipper has been played to a jury.
In a phone call with Bruce Saunders’ life insurance provider just days after his death, Sharon Graham asks how she could get a copy of a death certificate for her ex-partner while telling the operator his body had been recently identified.
The audio, played to Brisbane Supreme Court on the fifth day of her trial, includes a snippet of her saying the incident was an “industrial accident”.
“He went through a woodchipper,” she claims to the operator.
Ms Graham, 61, has pleaded not guilty to Mr Saunders’ murder.
Mr Saunders, 54, died after being dragged into an industrial woodchipper while clearing trees at a property northeast of Gympie on November 12, 2017.
At the time he was working with two other men, Peter Koenig and Gregory Roser, fixing up the Goomboorian property for a recently widowed woman looking to sell.
All three men had been romantically involved with Ms Graham, Crown prosecutor Todd Fuller told the jury in his opening.
The jury was told Mr Saunders was allegedly struck in the head with an iron bar by Mr Roser, falling unconscious, before his body was “gruesomely” disposed of in the woodchipper by Mr Roser and Mr Koenig.
The Crown contends Ms Graham counselled and procured Mr Saunders’ murder at the hands of Mr Roser – her then lover at the time.
It is alleged she stood to benefit from Mr Saunders’ death, as she was the sole beneficiary of his will, including his house, car, savings and a life insurance policy worth $750,000.
On Monday, a police recording taken on the night of Mr Saunders’ death was played to the jury, where Mr Roser is heard saying he “couldn’t save him”.
Mr Roser is heard saying the trio of men had been clearing the Goomboorian property for several weeks.
In the background, Ms Graham is heard claiming Mr Saunders was “mucking around” with the woodchipper.
“We told him to stay away from it (the chipper),” Mr Roser is heard saying on the recording.
In the audio, Mr Roser says Mr Saunders was dragging timber to the woodchipper and feeding it through the machine himself – something he says was dangerous.
Mr Roser is heard saying he was a few feet away from the truck but “didn’t hear a thing” when Mr Saunders went through the woodchipper.
“I just couldn’t get him out of there, he was stuck in there,” Mr Roser is heard saying.
“I tried to save him.”
Earlier in the day, a recording dated November 15, 2017 of Ms Graham discussing Mr Saunders’ life insurance with his provider was played to the jury.
In the call, she introduces herself and says she was Mr Saunders’ “friend”.
“Bruce passed away on Sunday in an industrial accident … I believe it’s all being cleared,” Ms Graham says.
“He went through a woodchipper.”
Ms Graham tells the operator that Mr Saunders’ body is being identified, claiming his death had been publicised in papers and on the internet.
The operator tells her the amount would be payable once the firm obtains a copy of Mr Saunders’ death certificate.
Ms Graham asks about how she could obtain a copy.
Texts sent from Ms Graham’s phone to a friend claiming that Mr Saunders was dragged into the woodchipper trying to retrieve his phone were also read to the court.
“OMG I’m so sick,” one text reads.
“I haven’t closed an eye, been crying all night.
“I’m devo, I don’t know what to think or say.”
Ms Graham’s defence barrister Peter Richards told the jury that his client did not counsel or procure the men to kill Mr Saunders.
In his opening last Tuesday, he urged the jury to pay close attention to Mr Koenig’s reliability and credibility as a witness in the proceedings.
“As far as Sharon Graham understood it, Mr Saunders died as a result of an accident,” Mr Richards said.
The trial continues.
