Witness to alleged murder of Michael Purse says Mark-Bry Leedham stabbed him, rolled him up in carpet and left him in the boot of a Daewoo Lanos

A woman who was in the room when missing man Michael Purse was allegedly murdered has described to a court the grim scene she saw on the night.

A woman who was in the room when missing man Michael Purse was allegedly murdered has told a court she watched his feet “lifelessly twitching” before he was rolled up in a carpet and put in the boot of a car.

Giving evidence in Mark-Bry Leedham’s murder trial last week, the woman, whose identity is suppressed, told the South Australian Supreme Court she didn’t know Michael Jeffrey Purse when Mr Leedham brought him to a unit she was at in February 2019.

Mr Leedham has been charged with murdering Mr Purse, whose body is still missing, with two other men already serving jail sentences after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Mr Leedham has pleaded not guilty.

Giving her recollection of the events that occurred the night Mr Purse went missing, the woman said Mr Purse and another woman went and sat on the couch when they arrived, and she went into her room before hearing Mr Leedham and some other people “raise their voices”.

Michael Jeffrey Purse’s body is yet to be found.

He was last seen on February 6, 2019, in Adelaide. Picture: Australian Federal Police

“Mark comes down to the bedroom and asks me for some tape. I give him some tape and told him how I don’t like people coming over and he knows better than – to know that I don’t like people coming over.”

She said she didn’t ask what the tape was for.

“I come back down the hallway, and Michael Purse’s hands are taped. You know where you put handcuffs? Sort of like that. He’s on the floor. He’s laying on the floor.

“He was injured – his ear was swollen, his eyes were taped like in television programs when they blur out the eyes with the little black shield, it was like that. Like his eyes were taped,” she said.

The woman told Auxiliary Justice Kevin Nicholson that she thought the three men – Mr Leedham and the two co-accused – were just going to drive Mr Purse to the “middle of nowhere” and “let him walk it off”, but Mr Leedham tried to take care of it himself.

“Mark tried to take things into his own hands and he failed miserably. He tried to get (Mr Purse) in a headlock. He tried to manhandle him. He made a pair of headphones appear and he tried to strangle Mr Purse with the headphones.

“I didn’t see him insert the knife into Michael Purse but I did see him drop the knife with blood on it.

She said one of the men then told her to “turn the f*** around” and the next thing she saw was “Michael’s feet lifelessly twitching”.

Police searching along Shepherds Corner Road for the remains of Michael Jeffrey Purse in March 2023, who is believed to have been buried in a shallow grave in the area. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Police previously identified that a green 2000 Daewoo Lanos hatch, pictured, is believed to have been involved in the disposal of Michael Purse’s body. Picture: SA Police

“Michael was then rolled up into the carpet. A green floral carpet with lots of dog hair on it. His feet were no longer moving at that stage. He was then taken out the back door, and put in the car,” she said.

She said one of the co-accused men told her to “clean up the joint”.

“The blood, the mess from the struggle, all the furniture that was knocked about.”

She said later, she went with the other woman and a co-accused man to buy drugs, but Mr Purse’s body was still in the back of the car.

“(The smell) is something I can’t describe,” she said.

“I want to say it’s like rotting flesh, like someone had just let go of their bowels and it was just a completely disgusting, revolting smell. I knew where it was coming from – the boot.”

The trial before judge alone continues.