Kevin James Pettiford in Supreme Court charged with murder of Andrew Whyte Murray, attempted murder of Nathan Mellows

A Victorian man who killed two rough sleepers on the Sunshine Coast and Tweed, and slashed a prisoner’s throat, argues he is not criminally responsible. WARNING: GRAPHIC

Police detectives investigate at Jack Evans Boat Harbour, and defendant Kevin James Pettiford.

A Victorian man who killed two rough sleepers and slashed a prisoner’s throat argues he was mentally ill and is not criminally responsible – but earlier told police he would put on a “f--king fantastic performance” in court.

The Supreme Court has heard Kevin James Pettiford, 38, does not deny bludgeoning Andrew Whyte Murray, 56, to death while he was sleeping at Jack Evans Boat Harbour, Tweed Heads, on November 21, 2019.

Nor does Pettiford deny attacking fellow Cessnock inmate Nathan Mellows by viciously slicing his throat about five weeks later.

Kevin James Pettiford.

The jury in the trial before Justice Hament Dhanji has also heard Pettiford tell Queensland police he killed homeless man David Collin, 53, while he was sleeping at Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland in September 2019. He also slashed a Goulburn prison officer’s arm in March 2020.

David Collin was brutally killed.

Pettiford has been charged with murdering Mr Murray and attempted murder of Mr Mellows.

He has described the killings as “art”, referred to himself as the “Hand of Death” and planned to be “Australia’s most prolific serial killer”, the court heard last week.

Public defender Jason Watts has told the court Pettiford needs to show he was suffering from poor mental health and could not “reason with a moderate degree of sense and composure”.

Interviews with police were played for jurors.

Andrew Whyte Murray Was killed at Jack Evans Boat Harbour, Tweed Heads.

Pettiford has sat quietly in a sealed booth in the court at Parramatta in Sydney.

Pettiford told police at one stage: “Caving a man’s head in with a rock, there’s nothing more primal than that and when he’s sleeping, that’s even more brutal.”

He said an artist sometimes has to “suffer for his art work”.

“I created, destroyed and now that’s it, it’s all done,” he said.

Speaking about prison, Pettiford told police: “Wouldn’t call it suffering though. I got it pretty easy – TV, books, pen and paper, roof over my head.”

“To me this is all just one big joke. Life is one big joke. You live and you die, what is that?”

The jury heard Pettiford watched UFC and the movie Hannibal at a hotel while drinking before he killed Mr Collin, who he described as “just unlucky”.

“There was no anger, no nothing. Just blank faced and dead – that’s what I’m like inside,” he said.

State Emergency Service volunteers scour Maroochydore scrub and properties for clues after David Collin was murdered. Picture: 7 News

“I went to Maroochydore to kill because I know there’s a lot of homeless people there.

“The less alive, no one’s going to miss them.

“If you’re homeless and in the gutter and you’ve got nothing, obviously no-one gives a f--k about you.”

Pettiford told police Mr Collin sat behind him at a shopping centre.

“I saw him go down a little alley one night and I decided to kill him,” he said.

“Rock over the head and down, right over the top of him – the first hit he was gone.

“The first blow hit him. Two hands 100 per cent force. No anger, blank face, dead.”

Pettiford even described how “the air left” Mr Collin as he died.

“I struck him a couple more times to make sure but I knew he was dead,” he said.

Pettiford said he did not target women as part of the “code” the court previously heard about.

“Lucky I have a code and have to stick by that code or no one would be safe,” he said.

Pettiford said if he was targeting women police would not be “talking like this” and would be “trying to kill me”.

Mr Murray’s body was found in a sleeping bag in this area at Tweed Heads. Picture: Luke Mortimer

Pettiford gave different accounts about whether killings were premeditated.

However, he did tell officers: “What you’ve got to understand is that everything is planned” and “the next act at court, that will be a f--king fantastic performance”.

Jurors have been warned during the “confronting” trial that they would need to be “dispassionate”.

Psychiatric experts will be providing evidence at the trial this week as the court looks at things in a “forensic manner”.

Jurors heard Pettiford followed media coverage of Mr Collin’s death and was “offended” someone might claim credit for his “work” and “art”.

The trial heard Pettiford suffered night terrors and was “always thinking of death or killing”.

The trial continues.