Karen Williams murder trial hears man made death bed confession to killing, burning and burying her body

UPDATE: The Supreme Court has heard two conflicting versions of the murder of Karen Williams — one the confession of a dying man, the other an account from an accomplice of the alleged killer.

THE Supreme Court has heard two conflicting versions of the murder of Karen Williams — one the confession of a dying man, the other an account from an accomplice of the alleged killer.

Today, during the trial of Nikola Novakovich, a nurse claimed she took a deathbed confession from a man who said he raped and strangled the teenager before burning and burying her body.

Just hours later, however, a former friend of Novakovich said he helped dump Miss Williams’ body in a mineshaft because she had witnessed the duo robbing an opal miner.

That man, Aleksander Radosavljevic, said he served as an undercover informant for SA Police 23 years later and recorded his conversations with Novakovich about the crime.

Novakovich, 42, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Miss Williams at Coober Pedy in 1990.

Her disappearance has become one of South Australia’s most infamous cold cases, prompting repeated and intensive searches of mine shafts in and around the town.

Prosecutors have alleged Novakovich killed Miss Williams because she had witnessed him and another man robbing an opal miner just days earlier.

They alleged he either shot, or raped and strangled, Miss Williams based on accounts he subsequently gave to two witnesses — accounts defence counsel insist are inadmissable.

A witness has claimed that when Novakovich raped her, years after Miss William’s disappearance, he called her “Karen” and admitted responsibility for her death.

Today, former health care worker Corinna Stuart told the court she was caring for terminally-ill man Peter Woodforde when he confessed to the murder days before his death in 2010.

“Peter Woodforde stated to me that he raped Karen, he knocked her out on the ground and he was raping her and she woke up while he was raping her and he strangled her,” Ms Stuart said.

“Then he took her and burned and buried her under a tree on the Oodnadatta Track ... he said he’d done it himself.”

Ms Stuart said Mr Woodforde had told her he was standing outside a Coober Pedy house when Miss Williams was dropped off in a car driven by a white man.

She said Mr Woodforde claimed there was a bonfire in the back yard, and when he walked around he saw Miss Williams being punched by another indigenous man.

Ms Stuart said Mr Woodforde “looked like he was telling the truth” when he said he had killed Miss Williams and disposed of her body on his own.

However, under cross examination by Novakovich’s lawyer Marie Shaw QC, Ms Stuart admitted she had last week told prosecutors that six men — none of whom were the accused — had raped the 14-year old and that two of them had helped Mr Woodforde bury Miss Williams.

The court heard four of the men were now dead, but two were still alive.

Ms Stuart initially denied telling prosecutors that the six men raped the teenager or that she had been spoken to in a threatening manner by Aboriginal people outside court.

“But that is a mistake, it was Peter Woodforde,” Ms Stuart said.

“Peter Woodforde stated to me ‘I did it, they keep digging looking for her, I did it, I was the one and she’s under that tree’ and that shocked me.”

Ms Stuart told the court she was upset when a detective involved in the case allegedly told her outside court that “Aboriginal people don’t kill each other like that”.

However she denied being the subject of any threats for testifying or that she had changed her story to protect those still alive.

This afternoon, Novakovich’s former friend Aleksander Radosavljevic said they and a third man had robbed an opal miner of his earnings just days before Ms Williams’ disappearance.

Mr Radosavljevic said although they wore disguises, they did not wear them while approaching or leaving the opal miner’s house.

He said Novakovich came to his house several days later wanting to talk.

“He said ‘My friend Karen Williams seen us running back to the car and knew we were up to no good’,” he said.

“He said she demanded money from the robbery or she was going to go to the police and tell them what we did.

“I asked did he give her money and he said ‘No, I shot her’.

“It took me a couple of seconds to fathom what he was saying ... I said ‘What, she’s dead?’ and he said ‘Yes, she’s dead’.”

Mr Radosavljevic said he was shocked not only by Novakovich’s admission, but by his friend’s request he help dispose of the teenager’s body.

“I asked him why he did it and he said he did it for us,” he said.

“I said ‘no, you did it for yourself, I didn’t know Karen Williams and she didn’t know me, we had never seen each other before’ ... he said ‘I don’t want to go to jail’.”

Mr Radosavljevic recalled how he and Novakovich drove to a burnt-out car, on the outskirts of Coober Pedy, and recovered a body wrapped in blankets from its boot.

“It was very light ... he certainly didn’t need me to help him, that’s for certain,” he said.

“He wasn’t happy, I can tell you that much ... he seemed a little upset he had to ask me for that sort of help ... I was shocked.

“The mine shaft was probably no more than 3m away ... Nik grabbed the body and dragged it headfirst down the mine shaft.

“I don’t know how deep it was, but I know there was a few seconds before we actually heard the body hit the bottom.”

Mr Radosavljevic said he left Coober Pedy soon after when friends of the opal miner questioned him and Novakovich about the robbery.

He did not return to the outback town until July 2013, when he had agreed to help SA Police with their investigations into the cold case.

He agreed to make telephone contact with Novakovich, claiming he was being investigated and needed his old friend’s advice — while every word was being recorded.

“(Say) nothing, no comment,” Novakovich replied.

“Nothing, nothing, no comment, that’s it, mate ... how many times in my life do you think I’ve had to deal with them?

“You get a lawyer, right, he will tell you that, no comment, and that’s it, mate, all right?”

Mr Radosavljevic said Novakovich agreed to stay in contact but asked he call a different phone number because he was “pretty sure my phone is bugged”.

The trial, before Justice Tim Stanley and in the absence of a jury, continues.