Freedom Anderson: Murder trial for woman accused of Surfers Paradise stabbing
A woman on trial for murder after a man’s stabbing at a Surfers Paradise resort told a witness after ‘I don’t know what I’ve done’, a court has heard. Read the day 3 coverage.
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The woman on trial for murder after a Gold Coast man’s fatal stabbing outside a Surfers Paradise resort told a witness later “I f--ked up, he dropped, I think he’s dead”, a court heard.
The closing stages of Freedom Mona Maunsell Anderson’s trial after the fatal 2020 stabbing of Nicholas Braid, in his 30s, heard multiple witnesses in Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday.
Anderson, 23, stabbed Braid in the chest on the evening of April 21, 2020, a court has heard.
She has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but not guilty to murder.
It is alleged Anderson fled after the stabbing, and the knife used has never been found.
Mr Braid was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital, but pronounced dead within 30 minutes.
Parts of a statement to police by a witness to the stabbing indicated Anderson and Mr Braid were talking with others in the minutes leading up to the incident.
The statement read the witness heard Anderson repeatedly ask Mr Braid: “What is your name?” or “Why did you lie to me?”, then “push” him in the chest with both hands.
“(Mr Braid) pulled down the neck of his shirt and I saw blood coming from his chest,” the statement was quoted to the court.
“(He) said, ‘Call an ambulance!’. I watched (him) fall to the ground and realised what had happened.
“I didn’t see anything in (Anderson)’s hands.”
The witness also told police they never heard Anderson threaten Mr Braid or anyone else.
The court heard excerpts from a statement by an associate of Anderson’s - who said they saw her following the stabbing. The statement said when they let Anderson inside their unit that night, she repeatedly said, “I f**ked up” and “I don’t know what I’ve done”.
“(Anderson) said, ‘I stabbed him’ … she said, “I don’t know - he dropped, I think he’s dead,” the statement was quoted in court.
“With how I seen [sic] her come to the unit, she knew she f**ked up. She didn’t mean to do it - I’ve never seen her like that, ever,” the court heard.
Mobile phone records from the night of the stabbing, admitted to court, show Anderson called another friend repeatedly or texted asking for help in the hours after.
Text messages shown to the court included, “I need help … ASAP, please” and “Find someone with a car pls [sic]”.
Earlier in the trial, the court heard following her arrest, Anderson told an undercover police officer in the watch-house with her she believed Mr Braid lied about his name in the conversation prior to the stabbing.
Forensic pathologist Dr Melissa Thompson’s evidence on Friday in relation to the autopsy conducted on Mr Braid’s body noted the cause of death was cardiac tamponade - when a large amount of fluid collects around the heart, preventing it from functioning properly - due to a punctured aorta.
Jurors were told a stab wound was 1cm across and 12cm deep, with no clear physical evidence the knife was inserted to the hilt or twisted while in Mr Braid’s body.
Dr Thompson agreed with defence barrister Jacob Robson’s suggestion it could have been a “single thrust forward with immediate withdrawal”, but said other possibilities remained.
“It would require mild to moderate force, but the exact degree of force required is not able to be determined with certainty,” Dr Thompson said.
The court was told Mr Braid’s test results showed methampethamines in his system at the time of his death.
Dr Thompson said the drug’s effects would depend on individual characteristics, but the quantity found was not related to Mr Braid’s death.
Detective Senior Constable Miranda Farrell - who led the police investigation - told the court on Friday no forensic testing was run on the clothing and sneakers allegedly worn by Anderson that night.
She said the shoes were wet and considered “contaminated” when located by police, and there “was no question” the clothing was seen on Anderson in CCTV of the stabbing.
The trial continues before Justice Frances Williams on Monday, when both sides give the jury closing addresses.
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Originally published as Freedom Anderson: Murder trial for woman accused of Surfers Paradise stabbing
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