Robert Whitwell’s granddaughter and alleged murderer wanted to steal from him and told a friend he ‘might have to die’, court told
ALLEGED murderer Brittney Jade Dwyer warned a friend not to get attached to her grandfather, Robert Whitwell, because he “might have to die”, a court has heard.
- Robert Whitwell found dead — but police soon became suspicious
- Granddaughter and her friend extradited to face murder charges
ALLEGED murderer Brittney Jade Dwyer warned a friend not to get attached to her grandfather, Robert Whitwell, because he “might have to die”, a court has heard.
The Adelaide Magistrates Court has also heard Dwyer and her friend Shelby Lee Angie Holmes “observed” Mr Whitwell for several days, intending to steal $30,000 from him.
Holmes, 19, of Ormeau in Queensland, faced court on Monday following her extradition over the weekend.
She has yet to plead to one aggravated count of serious criminal trespass, allegedly committed at Mr Whitwell’s Craigmore home prior to the discovery of his body in August.
Dwyer, 19, and her friend Bernadette Burns, 21, have been charged with murdering Mr Whitwell, 81, and have been remanded in custody.
Neighbours have previously said Dwyer had asked them to collect her grandfather’s mail just days after his body was found.
They said Dwyer did not appear distressed when they spoke to her.
Last week, a Queensland magistrate ordered Holmes’ extradition, saying the prosecution case so far suggested she was involved in a “premeditated calculation” to steal from Mr Whitwell.
He said it appeared that crime had been agreed upon with an “an element of indifference” as to how it would be achieved — a mindset that “does not provide me comfort”.
In court on Monday, prosecutors opposed Holmes’ release on bail, saying she may interfere with witnesses in the case.
They alleged that, on April 30, she and Dwyer drove from Queensland to Craigmore to “observe” Mr Whitwell.
They claimed Holmes sent Dwyer a text message saying “he said ‘hi’ to me, he’s lovely” to which Dwyer replied “don’t get attached to him, he might have to die”.
Prosecutors said those messages were part of 19,000 texts sent between the pair over two years that had been recovered by investigators.
Andrew George, for Holmes, said his client posed no risk to the ongoing investigation, adding she needed to be allowed to return to Queensland with her parents.
He said Holmes had no connection to the alleged murder “aside from her friendship with Miss Dwyer”.
Holmes was refused bail and remanded in custody.
Outside court, Mr George said he would challenge that decision in the Supreme Court.
“The allegation is that she went to the property with the intention of stealing some money, but that she did not steal it,” he said.
“My client has been caught up in the murder allegations in relation to her friend, but she is not charged in relation to that alleged crime.
“It’s absolutely unfair that bail was refused ... her parents are pretty upset, they want to go home ... she is not involved in the murder.”