Murder accused Natasha Darcy ‘made things worse for herself’ with repeated lies, jury told

A woman accused of murdering her partner by drugging and gassing him told ‘lots of lies’ but it didn’t mean she was guilty, a jury has heard.

Murder accused Natasha Darcy made things worse for herself by telling “lots and lots of lies” after the death of her partner Mathew Dunbar, a court has been told.

Her barrister Janet Manuell SC told jurors on Thursday they might think Ms Darcy’s lies “weren’t very good ones” but added people lied for all sorts of reasons and it did not necessarily point to her guilt.

Ms Darcy, 46, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Dunbar by drugging him with a sedative milkshake blended in a Nutribullet and gassing him to death with helium in his bed.

Prosecutors allege she killed the 42-year-old sheep farmer in the early hours of August 2, 2017, and staged the scene to look like a suicide in a bid to inherit his farm Pandora, then valued at $3.5 million.

Prosecutors allege Ms Darcy staged Mr Dunbar’s suicide. She has pleaded not guilty to murder. Picture: Facebook

Ms Darcy contends Mr Dunbar took his own life and has pointed to his history of depression, alleged struggles with his sexuality and financial troubles, and a severe calf infection he suffered shortly before his death.

In the months before he died, hundreds of internet searches related to death, suicide and murder were recorded on Ms Darcy’s iPhone and the Pandora home computer.

Ms Manuell said there was evidence of Ms Darcy telling police “lots and lots of lies”, adding that people lie for all sorts of reasons: avoiding trouble, feeling unjustly accused, fear of being prejudged.

“They might think that nobody’s going to believe them,” she told the court.

“Once you’ve told one lie you’ve got to keep telling a whole lot more lies if you want to keep up with the original lie.

“Some people ’fess up to the original lie. Some people don’t. And they just make things worse and worse and worse.

“And we say that’s what happened here. Ms Darcy had made things worse and worse for herself due to the repeated lies she has told.”

The two-month trial has heard evidence about hundreds of searches related to death, murder and suicide logged on Ms Darcy’s iPhone. Picture: Facebook

Her barrister Janet Manuell SC told the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday there were 12 reasons the crown had not excluded the possibility Mr Dunbar had taken his own life. These were:

• Mr Dunbar’s history of depression.

• His reported suicidal ideation in 2009 and June 2017.

• A search recorded on the computer for “how to stop suicidal thoughts”, which Ms Manuell suggested was made by someone suicidal.

• Evidence Mr Dunbar purchased the helium tank at Supagas, it being unlikely he was “duped” into believing it was for a party at Pandora that weekend.

• The implausibility of Ms Darcy watching a video depicting a method similar to that used in Mr Dunbar’s death while she sat next to him at a Tamworth cafe.

• Timestamps suggesting Mr Dunbar was not using his own phone at the time the video was accessed on Ms Darcy’s phone.

• The implausibility of Ms Darcy watching the instructional video at the cafe after the helium cylinder had already been purchased.

Prosecutors allege Ms Darcy’s motive was to inherit Mr Dunbar’s property, then valued at $3.5 million. Picture: NSW Supreme Court.

• A period of time hours before Mr Dunbar died where he could have prepared the helium apparatus while Ms Darcy took the cat to the vet.

• The removal of a small part of the helium cylinder, it being difficult to remove.

• Mr Dunbar’s DNA on parts of the helium gas apparatus.

• Mr Dunbar’s DNA on parts of a rubber band used in the apparatus.

• The implausibility of Mr Dunbar drinking the alleged sedative milkshake that “must have been thick with pulverised tablets and … had all those crunchy bits in it”.

Ms Manuell told the jurors if they believed there was a “reasonable possibility” Mr Dunbar had killed himself, then they must acquit Ms Darcy.

A dirty Nutribullet cup that tested positive for four sedatives found in Mr Dunbar’s blood was found in the dishwasher. Picture: NSW Supreme Court.

She reminded the jury Ms Darcy didn’t have to prove anything and the crown had to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

“There’s no magic in those words,” she told the 11 jurors. “They mean what they say.

“Everyone is entitled to a fair trial,” she said. “You, me, people we like and people we don’t like.”

As she pleaded not guilty to murder at the beginning of the trial, Ms Darcy told the court she was guilty of aiding and abetting Mr Dunbar’s suicide.

Justice Julia Lonergan told jurors on Thursday afternoon there was “no evidence at all in the trial” that Ms Darcy had spoken to Mr Dunbar about him wanting to die by suicide.

There was evidence the couple collected the helium together, the judge said, but nothing to show they had discussed using it for suicide.

She told the jurors they “must not speculate” about what Ms Darcy might have said if she had chosen to give evidence.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Murder accused Natasha Darcy ‘made things worse for herself’ with repeated lies, jury told