‘Not a skerrick’ of physical or forensic evidence links Robert John Thrupp to Steven Hinrichsen’s murder, Supreme Court jury told

A man standing trial for the murder of a Morphett Vale grandfather has told jury “not a skerrick” of physical or forensic evidence links him to the crime scene.

A man accused of murdering grandfather Steven Hinrichsen says there may have been two separate attacks on the victim – and that “not a skerrick” of physical forensic evidence links him to the crime scene, a jury has been told.

Robert John Thrupp, 47, is standing trial in the Supreme Court alongside his friend Gavin Scott Skinner, 46, and Mr Skinner’s girlfriend Tanya Hinrichsen, 43, for the murder of her husband, Mr Hinrichsen, at Morphett Vale in December 2018.

In defence closing submissions, Chris Weir, for Mr Thrupp, told the jury his client should not be found guilty of the crime.

He said despite the ferocious attack, which left Mr Hinrichsen, 63, with multiple injuries and lying in a pool of blood, there was “not a jot of physical evidence, or forensic evidence, connecting Mr Thrupp to that crime scene, not a skerrick”.

“What we do have is clearly DNA evidence that connects the other two accused with the murder of this man,” Mr Weir said.

Steven Hinrichsen.

Robert John Thrupp. Picture: NINE NEWS

Opening the trial last month, prosecutor Carmen Matteo alleged the trio and another woman had gone to Mr Hinrichsen’s home to retrieve some belongings the night before he was found dead on December 15, 2018.

She had told the jury that Mr Skinner and Mr Thrupp were later seen on CCTV walking the 5km from where they were living back to Mr Hinrichsen’s house, arriving soon after 5am, at which time the fatal blows were allegedly inflicted.

But Mr Weir said the jury could not reasonably discount the possibility that there were two separate attacks on Mr Hinrichsen, the first of which could have happened on the first occasion the trio had gone to his home.

Mr Weir said at that time there was evidence Mr Thrupp “was standing outside most of the time” and that both of his co-accused “were the last to leave the house on that occasion”.

“The sole protagonists in that attack were both Skinner and, perhaps, Tanya Hinrichsen,” Mr Weir said.

Gavin Scott Skinner 8 Picture: NINE NEWS

Tanya Hinrichsen. Picture: NINE NEWS

Mr Weir told the jury that during that visit, the fourth person present had seen Mr Skinner with a knife in the kitchen, and also that he had grabbed the framed photo, which police found smashed on top of Mr Hinrichsen.

Earlier, Bill Boucaut QC, for Mr Skinner, told the jury there also could have been two attacks on Mr Hinrichsen but the latter most likely at the hands of Mrs Hinrichsen when she went back to the house alone.

Grant Algie QC, for Mrs Hinrichsen, told the jury that she could not have been a party to any plan to kill Mr Hinrichsen because she was asleep at Mr Thrupp's home when the two men allegedly went back to the house.

The jury is expected to consider its verdict this week.