Witness says he was asked to bury Matthew Charles Draganoff’s clothes after alleged murder of Simon Middleton

A man has recounted the chilling details of driving an accused murderer home after a shooting before he was asked by him to burn his clothes, a court has heard.

A man who drove an accused murderer home recounted hearing three shots before he was asked by him to burn his clothes, a court heard.

Matthew Charles Draganoff, 44, is standing trial in the Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murdering Simon Middleton on March 8, 2021.

Lucy Boord KC, prosecuting, told the court last month that Mr Draganoff allegedly fired three shots at Mr Middleton with a high powered rifle at Virginia.

The shots hit Mr Middleton to the head, the chest and the buttocks, with the shots to the head and chest killing him.

“It’s the prosecution case that the accused had the means, the opportunity and importantly the motive to kill the deceased,” Ms Boord said.

Matthew Charles Draganoff is charged with the shooting murder of Simon Middleton who was found dead out the front of a Virginia property in March, 2021. Picture: LinkedIn via NCA NewsWire

Simon Middleton was shot dead on March 8, 2021, in Virginia. Picture: SA Police

Ms Boord said “the catalyst” for the alleged murder related to an incident on March 6, 2021.

The court heard Mr Draganoff had arranged for a man to keep watch on the property where Mr Middleton was living.

“(The man) contacted the accused and told him that the deceased and some of his friends had attended the property armed and were stealing some goods from that address,” Ms Boord said.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, another man said he was asked by Mr Draganoff to go for a drive on the night of the alleged murder, which he refused.

“A minute later he walked up with a rifle and said to me ‘I’m not asking you, I’m telling you’,” the man said.

The man said Mr Draganoff guided him to pull over before he got out of the car with the rifle in his hands.

“I didn’t want to stop where it was because of people I know in the area,” the man said,

“Plus to be honest, I was scared, very scared.”

The man said he then “beelined it” back to Mr Draganoff’s house.

“A few minutes after I arrived, I could hear three distinctive gunshots … bang, bang, bang,” he said.

The man told the court he got back into his car and was driving when he saw Mr Draganoff running down the middle of the road “sweating like a pig”.

The court heard the man was asking Mr Draganoff “what the hell was going on” but got no reply.

They drove to the Gawler River church, in which the man said he grabbed the gun off Mr Draganoff and threw it against the fence line, as well as burying the rounds under a tree.

The court heard the men then drove back to Mr Draganoff’s house.

“Draganoff gave me all the clothes he’d been wearing and told me go to and burn them,” the man said.

The court heard the man didn’t end up burning the clothes.

Ms Boord said DNA linked Mr Draganoff to a spent bullet casing, as well as Mr Middleton’s blood being linked to a splatter on Mr Draganoff’s shoe.

Michelle Barnes, for Mr Draganoff, told the court what was in dispute was the identity of the shooter.

The trial, before a jury, continues.

Originally published as Witness says he was asked to bury Matthew Charles Draganoff’s clothes after alleged murder of Simon Middleton