James Church interrogated by police over the alleged murder of Leisl Smith

New footage shows an accused killer being grilled by police over the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Confronting footage has emerged of police interrogating an accused killer charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Leisl Smith, 23, went missing on August 19, 2012, on NSW’s Central Coast and was last captured on CCTV footage getting into 53-year-old James Church’s white car near Tuggerah Railway Station that day.

The pair were in a relationship together, with Ms Smith allegedly telling several people that she was pregnant with Church’s child before her disappearance.

Leisl Smith’s mother Sandi Harvey holds up a sign for her missing daughter.

One of those people was reportedly Church's new girlfriend Belinda Lees, with police alleging that he was motivated to murder Ms Smith so she would stop speaking about the baby.

New footage obtained by A Current Affair shows police grilling Church on multiple occasions as part of their 10-year investigation into the case.

“Leisl Smith was infatuated with you. Because of your new relationship with Belinda Lees, Leisl felt rejected and scorned,” a detective said.

“Believing that she was pregnant and refusing to terminate the pregnancy … you decide the only way to eliminate this threat was to murder Leisl.

CCTV footage of accused killer James Church being interviewed by police. Picture: A Current Affair

“But what you don‘t know is that Leisl was never pregnant.”

“No, I haven‘t murdered anyone,” Church said in response.

“We believe that her remains are located in the Hunter and we want to know where she is,” the other detective said.

“I haven‘t murdered anyone, I don’t know where she is,” Church replied, looking unflustered.

Church maintained that he did not murder Leisl Smith. Picture: A Current Affair

Church said when he picked up Ms Smith on August 19, 2012, he drove her 10 minutes away to Wyong before heading home and going to Ms Lees’ house.

But CCTV from around the time in question showed his ute in Sandy Hollow nearly 190km north of the train station.

“Your car was recorded on the camera two hours and 22 minutes after you collected Leisl from Tuggerah train station,” a detective said.

“They’ve recorded your vehicle travelling southbound on the Golden Highway. How do you explain this?”

“I can’t can I,” Church replied.

“Are you sure you’ve got the right number plate?”

Police search for evidence in relation to Leisl Smith’s disappearance.

The detective said they did before revealing Church’s phone records from that day showed Ms Lees called him multiple times during the time they were supposedly together.

“If you were with her, why would she be trying to contact your mobile phone and your landline?” he asked.

“The reason being that you took Leisl Smith up into the Hunter Valley and you murdered her!”

“No. I haven’t murdered anyone. I don’t murder people,” Church said in response.

Church would later claim he was travelling to the Hunter Valley to visit friends before alleging that two men had shot at him in the middle of the night asking about Ms Smith.

He was arrested and charged with the murder of Ms Smith in 2018, though her body and a weapon have never been found.

James Scott Church said he didn’t ‘murder people’. Picture: Richard Noone

But the day before a verdict could be delivered in the NSW Supreme Court after a three-month trial, Church was found dead at his Inverell home on July 8 of this year.

Justice Elizabeth Fullerton said the law prevented her from handing down a verdict, acknowledging it could be difficult for Ms Smith’s family and friends.

Ms Smith’s mother said it was difficult to have no conclusion to the ordeal after Church took his own life.

“I know she is dead and I don’t want to think about how she met her demise because that just kills me,” Sandi Harvey said.

Leisl Smith’s mother Sandra Harvey says thinking about her daughter’s death ‘kills me’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Seb Haggett

“He‘s a coward, just a coward … I think he is guilty.”

Church maintained he was innocent and had pleaded not guilty.