Kylie Blackwood murder: Family face more delays in slain mum’s court case
LONG-suffering family and friends of slain mum Kylie Blackwood will be forced to wait for her alleged killer to front a preliminary hearing.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LONG-suffering family and friends of slain mum Kylie Blackwood will be forced to wait until December for her alleged killer to front a preliminary hearing.
The expensive setback was revealed as the case was due to start this morning, with some of the Pakenham woman’s loved ones in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for the hearing.
Morwell man Scott Alan Murdoch has been charged with murder over the savage slaying of the 42-year-old.
The court heard Mr Murdoch was to blame for the delay, having already sacked two of his lawyers since his arrest in April last year.
The beloved mother was butchered in her McCaffery Rise home in Pakenham at 3.40pmon August 1, 2013.
Her body was discovered by her twin 11-year old daughters.
The murder investigation has been plagued with difficulties from day one.
It was believed the killer attempted to use Ms Blackwood’s bank card to withdraw money from an ATM in Main St, Pakenham, between 12.30 and 2.30pm on the day she died.
But in a blow, CCTV of the card being used was erased before homicide investigators could review it.
Police have said they think the murder was the result of a burglary gone wrong.
CCTV footage of a distinctive late-model Nissan Tiida with a rear spoiler seen near the Blackwood’s home was released shortly before Mr Murdoch’s arrest.
There are about 900 such vehicles across Victoria but at the time of Ms Blackwood’s death just 30 owners were registered in Pakenham.
The delay in today’s preliminary hearing came as Mr Murdoch’s defence called for redacted information from DNA evidence held by the prosecution to be revealed.
The court heard while relevant DNA existed from between 10-15 people, including that of Mr Murdoch, police had gathered DNA samples from 52 people.
Crown prosecutor Kerri Judd, QC, said Mr Murdoch’s lawyers had been warned to act on their concerns in August last year and repeatedly since.
“I’m extremely cross about it. I need to calm down about that crossness,” she said.
Ms Judd said it was completely inappropriate for the issue to be raised at what was to be the beginning of a five-day contested hearing.
The court heard a pathologist who flew in from New Zealand would now be sent home and not called at the committal.
Mr Murdoch’s barrister Jason Gullaci said he took responsibility for the stuff-up, but none-the-less would issue a subpoena to obtain the hidden information.
The delay will likely see any future murder trial to be pushed back until mid-to-late next year.