A jury will visit the site where a woman’s body was found in a burnt-out vehicle as her former boyfriend stands trial for her murder.
Lachlan Young, 23, admits he killed Hannah McGuire on April 5, 2024, before driving her body to a remote location and setting the car on fire.
But he has pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming her death was an unplanned and spontaneous incident.
The 14 jurors selected to decide Young’s fate will today visit the Scarsdale site in regional Victoria where McGuire’s remains were found.
They will also be taken to the property where the alleged murder happened and the home of Young’s parents, the court was told.
Prosecutors allege Young formed and then carried out a plan to murder McGuire after months of abusive and controlling behaviour.
Young killed the 23-year-old woman when he realised their relationship was over and he would lose the house they had bought together, crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill said.
After killing McGuire, he then tried to stage her death as a suicide by sending messages to her mother from her phone.
He also sent himself messages from McGuire’s mobile and transferred thousands of dollars out of her bank account.
Defence barrister Glenn Casement told the jury it was conceded that Young killed McGuire and his actions after her death were “shameful”.
But it was disputed that he held an intention to kill or cause her really serious injury, the barrister said.
Intention was one of the four elements of murder the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt before an accused is convicted.
Casement urged the jury to keep an open mind to the defence case.
“Be careful not to obtain a distorted picture of what was happening the day or two before her death,” he told the jury on Wednesday.
As Justice James Elliott sent the jurors home for the day, he advised them to bring an umbrella and wear warm clothing for their trip to Scarsdale.
The temperature is expected to dip to 7 degrees today.
