Audio captures co-accused ‘cheering and congratulating’ alleged murder of artist

The man accused of shooting dead Canberra man Eden Waugh planned to ‘hack up’ his body, a court has heard.

Eden Waugh died after being shot at point-blank range with a 12 gauge, sawn-off shotgun in front of his girlfriend at his Watson apartment on November 3, 2016.

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A Canberra man on trial for the murder of artist Eden Waugh had planned to “hack up” the victim with a machete, a court heard.

The accused Peter Forster-Jones pleaded not guilty to murdering the 37-year-old artist, who died after being shot at point-blank range with a 12 gauge, sawn-off shotgun in front of his girlfriend at his Watson apartment on November 3, 2016.

In his opening address at ACT Supreme Court on Monday, Prosecutor Anthony Williamson said Mr Forster-Jones and co-accused Jason Pikula-Carroll went to Mr Waugh’s home at Windeyer Court with the “premeditated intention of murdering him”.

The jury will be played an audio recording in which Mr Pikula-Carroll can be heard “cheering and congratulating” Mr Forster-Jones, 23, over the “gruesome” murder.

Anthony Williamson is the Crown Prosecutor in the murder trial of Eden Waugh.

Mr Williamson said the killing was a result of a violent home invasion the pair were involved in six weeks earlier at the home of Mr Waugh, who they wanted to “silence”.

“It was a cold-blooded plan hatched weeks earlier to silence or eliminate a police witness,” Mr Williamson said.

“This was not a murder that occurred in the heat of the moment or a crime of passion.”

The 12-member jury will be played an audio recording in which Mr Pikula-Carroll can be heard “cheering and congratulating” Mr Forster-Jones while Mr Waugh’s girlfriend made a triple-0 call.

Mr Williamson said the pair had “literally walked over the deceased’s dying body to get into the unit and steal drugs and cash” and showed no remorse for their actions.

“You will hear that at no point the accused and co-accused did anything to render assistance to the deceased,” he said.

The court heard Mr Forster-Jones fired the fatal shot which hit Mr Waugh in the chest, causing “catastrophic injuries” to his lungs and heart.

The family of Eden Waugh leave ACT Supreme Court on Monday.

The jury will also hear a recording in which Mr Forster-Jones confesses to undercover police that he had killed Mr Waugh and that it was his intention to “hack up” the body.

“But the only reason he didn’t hack (the body) up with a machete was because he was already dead,” Mr Williamson said.

“You will hear in the recording that he hadn’t lost any sleep over the killing.”

Mr Waugh was described as a “petty drug dealer who only sold enough to support an addiction he’d become a slave to”.

Defence lawyer Richard Davies said his client has pleaded guilty to manslaughter as he does not deny causing Mr Waugh’s death after going to the house armed with a machete and wearing a balaclava to conceal his face.

But he said the jury would have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Forster-Jones committed murder, which he denies.

“What is an issue is not whether he fired the shot at the front door but whether when firing the gun, Mr Forster-Jones intended to cause Mr Waugh’s death or intended to cause serious harm or … acted with reckless indifference to the probability of causing death.”

Mr Forster-Jones has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and seven other charges relating to the earlier home invasion

Justice Michael Elkaim said the trial would go for about two weeks and adjourned the case until Wednesday.

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