‘Smell rose up’: The disturbing signs that alerted police to body in concrete

The trial of two people accused of killing a man whose body was found in a concrete pit at a Brisbane business has been shown gruesome photos and heard the disturbing reasons police knew they had found a body.

Homicide detective Jason Kitto gave evidence on Tuesday.

The smell emanating from a core drilled pit and the flies it attracted were the disturbing signs that made homicide detectives realise they had a body on their hands, the trial of two men accused of murdering Andrew Christopher Walsh has heard.

Dewald De Klerk 30, and Joshua Robert Searston, 27, have both pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Walsh, 35, on November 8 2021 at a trucking and courier business on Musgrave Rd.

Mr Walsh’s body was found buried in a concrete pit at Coopers Plains months later.

The Crown alleges Mr Walsh was viciously bashed and stabbed and ultimately buried at the business.

Homicide detective Jason Kitto, who gave evidence on Tuesday - the trial’s second day - began searching the trucking business where Mr Walsh was allegedly murdered, in February 2022.

On February 17 he was made aware of a pit in the business’ large industrial shed that had a metal grate over it and a car parked on top.

Because of what appeared to be fresh concrete surrounding the pit and nearby industrial-size empty concrete bags he decided to investigate further, the court heard.

Contractors were brought in by police and told to dig up the concrete in the pit and proceeded to dig core samples, the court heard.

At one point they hit timber and a smell rose up.

Andrew Christopher Walsh.

“They continued to dig deeper and smell came out of the hole. Do you recall that,” Mr Cook asked.

“Yes they did,” Det Snr Sgt Kitto said.

“One of the police officers at the scene was alert to that smell, that made you think that you had a (body) on your hands here?” Mr Cook continued.

“Correct,” the officer replied.

“Flies came to the area as a result,” Mr Cook asked.

“Correct,” Det Snr Sgt Kitto confirmed.

“You yourself said something like, I think that’s what we’re looking for,” the prosecutor asked.

“Correct,” Det Snr Sgt Kitto said.

The excavation continued into the next day when the contractors came to what would later prove to be Mr Walsh’s body wrapped in plastic, strapped down and connected to toilet system parts.

“Over a number of days, we have slowly, meticulously removed the concrete to the point where we were able to attempt to remove the body,” Det Snr Sgt Kitto said.

A series of photos of the excavation were shown to the jury including a photo of Mr Walsh’s jaw.

“Once we looked at the bag out, it was just bone basically,” he said.

Earlier on the trial’s second day, a barrister was asked to use less emotional language.

Mr Walsh’s friend Linda Smith told the court on Tuesday that she had dropped him at the business site on November 7 after picking him up from a place in Annerley where his car had been stolen by a woman who later claimed he had sexually assaulted her.

Ms Smith said Mr Walsh got out of her car at Coopers Plains with a sock full of rocks and some latex gloves, the court heard. She said she felt uncomfortable at the time.

“You understood it to be the case that he was going in to the shed to exact some sort of revenge on the person who he thought had stolen his car,” De Klerk’s barrister David Funch asked in cross-examination.

“Yes,” Ms Smith said.

“And then he asked you to wait until he finished doing what he was about to do in the shed,” Mr Funch asked.

“No, he said for me to wait five minutes and then go into the car park (of the business),” she responded.

Ms Smith disagreed with the notion she was meant to be the getaway driver.

“Presumably, you felt uncomfortable because you understood that he was going there to commit a violent crime,” Mr Funch suggested.

At this point Crown prosecutor Chris Cook objected, labelling the question “pure speculation”.

Chief Justice Helen Bowskill, who is presiding over the trial, asked Mr Funch to change the language of his question and be more precise.

“Did you feel uncomfortable because this fellow, Andy, was about to walk into the shed and bludgeon someone with a sock full of rocks,” Mr Funch asked.

Mr Cook objected again.

“I actually think that question is even worse your honour,” Mr Cook said.

“Yes I think it is too. Mr Funch please reword the question without emotional language in it.”

Mr Funch asked Ms Smith whether she believed Mr Walsh was going in the business to remonstrate with whoever he thought had stolen his car.

“Well he was going to obviously have words and he had something with him to, you know, defend himself,” she said.

“Is your evidence that you thought he was going in to have a chat with a pair of latex gloves on and a sock full of rocks,” he asked.

“Yes,” Ms Smith responded.

The hairdresser, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, had earlier become emotional when discussing how she had invited Mr Walsh to dinner with her family but he never arrived - as by that stage he was dead on the Crown’s case.

In the days after his disappearance Ms Smith said she had called his phone until it rang out.

“Days later it just stopped ringing,” she said.

At the time of Mr Walsh’s alleged murder Ms Smith said he had wanted to lead a normal life and “be a father to his children”.

The trial continues.