Decision looming in murder trial of man charged with killing Lindy Lucena in Ballina
Robert Karl Huber is accused of killing 64-year-old Lindy Lucena, also known as "Kimmy", whose body was found in a laneway near a Salvation Army Centre more than two-and-a-half years ago.
Crown prosecutor Susan Oliver today told the court Ms Lucena may have been dead for at least three hours before Mr Huber walked into the Ballina Police Station.
Mr Huber has pleaded not guilty to the murder and manslaughter of Ms Lucena, and is facing a judge-alone trial in Coffs Harbour.
At the start of proceedings last Wednesday, Mr Huber pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm over an incident that occurred on Boxing Day 2022, eight days before Ms Lucena's death.
The court heard Mr Huber and Ms Lucena met in 2017, and that their relationship had become volatile from around 2019.
The pair became homeless following the Lismore floods in 2022 and had been staying in a Ballina caravan park.
On Boxing Day 2022, Mr Huber was charged with assaulting Ms Lucena in their motor home.
The court heard that following his release from custody on December 28, Mr Huber and Ms Lucena were kicked out of the caravan park.
The two had unsuccessfully tried to stay at a local motor inn before relocating with their possessions to a small courtyard on the side of the Ballina Salvation Army on the afternoon of January 3.
Ms Oliver told the court Mr Huber blamed Ms Lucena for their homelessness.
She said their relationship was one characterised by Mr Huber lashing out at Ms Lucena physically when things got bad.
The court had previously heard evidence that a passer-by called triple-0 at 7:03pm on January 3, 2023, telling the operator he had heard a man "bashing the hell out of his woman".
Body-worn camera footage was also played for the court earlier in the trial, showing Mr Huber allegedly leading the police to Ms Lucena's body around 12:30am on January 4.
In the footage, Mr Huber is seen gesturing to Ms Lucena's body and allegedly telling police, "She doesn't look too good, does she?"
When asked in court what they were arguing about earlier in the evening, Mr Huber said, "I don't recall. It's usually something minor."
The prosecution said the forensic pathologist who carried out the post-mortem on Ms Lucena determined that she suffered multiple blows and died of craniofacial injuries.
The court heard some of her injuries were consistent with being grasped and held firmly, and that facial lacerations caused her to lose a lot of blood.
Defence counsel Jason Watts is due to start his closing arguments later this afternoon.
Mr Watts previously told the court he would argue it could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt that any assault by the accused caused Ms Lucena's death.
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