A court has heard that Dale Joram Edward Hamilton, 28, accused of murdering another man in a neighborhood dispute, provided different versions of the incident to police.
Hamilton is charged with the stabbing death of 44-year-old Jonathan Clarence Martin at a property on Hawkins Street in Miles, west of Brisbane, on March 21, 2023.
During the first day of the trial at Toowoomba Supreme Court, Crown prosecutor David Finch outlined that the dispute stemmed from Hamilton damaging Martin’s car and allegedly tormenting his dog.
Prosecutors revealed that on the night of the murder, Martin arrived at Hamilton’s home accompanied by another man, Gary Mitchell, and was carrying a tomahawk.
The court was shown police body-worn footage of Hamilton speaking to officers shortly after the incident. In the footage, Hamilton claimed he was warned two men were looking for him, and he confronted them outside his home with his dog after hearing them nearby. Hamilton told police his dog attacked Martin after he was knocked over, stating, “There was two of them there trying to hit me. I was on the ground and my dog ran up and grabbed hold of him.”
Initially, police believed Martin had died from injuries caused by the dog attack. However, Detective Acting Sergeant Amy Wolski told the court that their investigation shifted after she examined Martin’s body and discovered a stab wound on his chest.
“After seeing the wound on his chest, the matter now became trying to investigate how it was sustained,” Wolski testified. When prosecutor Finch asked whether the focus had shifted from a dog bite, Wolski confirmed, “Yes, that is correct.”
The trial continues as the court considers the conflicting accounts of the events that led to Martin’s death.
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