Bruce Saunders was desperately looking for a brand new life accomplice however his search ended together with his physique being present in a woodchipper and his former girlfriend charged with homicide.
Investigating officers allege his loss of life was not an accident, however a part of a plot to assert the 54-year-old’s $750,000 life insurance coverage.
Saunders was a person who wanted a lady in his life, one buddy stated.
When he met Sharon Graham after his first spouse’s loss of life and a second failed marriage, he believed he had discovered love once more.
As a substitute, Saunders unwittingly grew to become embroiled in a deadly “love quadrangle”, a Brisbane supreme courtroom homicide trial has heard.
Graham, 61, is accused of asking Gregory Lee Roser and one other lover, Peter Koenig, to kill her ex-partner and make it appear to be an accident.
Saunders was present in a woodchipper after clearing bushes with Roser and Koenig at a property at Goomboorian, close to Gympie, in November 2017.
Solely his legs remained.
Graham and Roser, 63, have pleaded not responsible to homicide, with Graham efficiently making use of for a separate trial.
She had cut up up with Saunders, however he was allegedly nonetheless besotted along with her.
They lived in a Nambour home they'd purchased, however in separate bedrooms, when Graham started relationship Roser.
Koenig had additionally been in an intimate relationship with Graham for years, unknown to Saunders.
Koenig spent weekends on the Nambour home as Graham’s “male finest buddy”.
Saunders instructed many individuals, together with his estranged spouse, Bernadette Rogers, that he was decided to win Graham again.
“When you had been in Bruce’s life, you had been in Bruce’s life for good,” Rogers instructed the courtroom. “He was delicate, loving, very beneficiant. He would do something for anybody.”
So when Graham requested Saunders to assist clear her buddy’s property with Koenig and Roser, he agreed – even when it meant juggling his work as a butcher.
He even paid for the woodchipper rent.
However Graham had allegedly been plotting with Roser to kill Saunders for months earlier than recruiting Koenig. Koenig stated Graham requested him to fulfill her and Roser in August 2017 to speak about murdering Saunders for cash.
It has been alleged Graham was the beneficiary of Saunders’ life insurance coverage coverage and his will.
She got here up with the thought of murdering him on the property and utilizing a woodchipper to cowl it up, Koenig stated.
Roser and Koenig agreed, “simply to maintain her comfortable.”
After a weekend on the property, Graham requested Koenig and Roser why Saunders was nonetheless alive, the courtroom heard.
When she was instructed that the woodchipper was enjoying up and there have been too many individuals round, Koenig stated Graham replied: “Nicely, it’s acquired to be achieved.”
On the ultimate weekend on the property, Koenig stated a careworn Roser instructed him Graham was pressuring him to kill Saunders however he couldn’t do it.
After they completed work on the property with out incident, Koenig allegedly thought, “magnificence, it’s not going to occur.”
Then Saunders fell to the bottom, Koenig stated.
He circled and allegedly noticed Roser repeatedly hit a susceptible Saunders within the head with a steel bar.
“I stated ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ and he stated ‘I feel I've killed him,’” he stated.
Koenig helped carry Saunders to the chipper as a result of Roser had a nasty again, then fired up the machine.
Koenig stated he pushed Saunders into the machine utilizing a tree department however stopped with the legs nonetheless protruding.
“Simply to go away a little bit of Bruce there I suppose … for the police to see,” Koenig stated, who pleaded responsible to accent after the actual fact to homicide.
They referred to as Graham to inform her the job was achieved, then Roser screamed, “Oh Bruce, what have you ever achieved,” to make neighbours assume there had been an accident, Koenig stated.
The 2 males instructed police Saunders had been reckless and fell into the woodchipper, however that was a lie, Roser’s barrister, Lars Falcongreen, stated.
Roser didn't dispute that Saunders was murdered or that he “shamelessly” helped get rid of the physique, however it was Koenig who was accountable for the killing, Falcongreen stated.
The barrister accused Koenig of killing Saunders for Graham, saying he had been infatuated along with her for greater than 10 years.
Koenig confirmed he had about 1,000 photographs of Graham on his cellphone.
Graham’s daughter Rebecca stated Koenig instructed her at Saunders’ funeral that he was in love along with her mom.
“She has that impact on males,” a buddy stated of Graham.
However Koenig stated he solely favored Graham they usually had been like brother and sister. He denied killing Saunders.
The day after Saunders’ loss of life, Graham took out his will, her daughter stated.
Graham instructed her Saunders had left all the pieces to her and never his son, who she claimed had already inherited sufficient from his mom’s loss of life.
Saunders was in monetary hassle and was nonetheless married however hid it from Graham in an effort to preserve her comfortable, the courtroom heard.
Graham described Saunders as pathetic and based on a buddy, stated: “It’s not my fault he loves me and needs to provide me all the pieces.”
She moved into Saunders’ room on the Nambour home the evening of his loss of life, sharing his mattress with Roser a day or two later, Rebecca stated.
Neighbours stated there have been events on the residence for months afterwards.
Roser’s trial earlier than justice Martin Burns continues.
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