A dispute over a woman between a group of "drug-addled" friends led to the murder of a Murray Bridge man, South Australia's Supreme Court has heard.
Ned Timothy Hutchinson and Terrence Bradley Wilson have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Oliver Todd, 47, in his Murray Bridge home on December 2019.
Prosecutor Kos Lesses told the court Mr Todd died after being hit over the head with a blunt object 11 times and covered in a hessian sack that was secured with ratchet straps before he was strangled to death with a belt.
Police seized a hammer, two knives and a felt belt from the scene the next day.
The court heard a third person — David Russell — had pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Todd earlier this year.
Mr Lesses said in his opening address that Mr Todd was taking drugs with his housemate at their Murray Bridge address on the night of the murder, before Mr Wilson came over to accuse Mr Todd of wanting his girlfriend.
The court heard the men then waited for his housemate to leave before Mr Wilson, Mr Hutchinson and Russell carried out a "nasty and deliberate attack".
The court was shown police footage from the Murray Bridge property showing dragged blood stains and clumps of hair on the kitchen floor leading to the back deck.
Mr Lesses said Mr Todd's body was dragged and carried onto the tray of Mr Hutchinson's ute before being driven 20 kilometres south of Murray Bridge and disposed of in a paddock in Jervois.
Victim kicked out of relative's house
The court heard Mr Todd was kicked out of a relative's house months earlier over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
"These may not sound like motivations for a murder, but in the minds of a group of drug-addled brains it may have been enough," Mr Lesses said.
Mr Lesses told the court that Mr Wilson confessed to the murder of Mr Todd in an audio recording captured while he was on home detention bail a few months after his arrest.
Mr Wilson's lawyer, Craig Caldicott, said the audio was not clear.
Mr Caldicott told the court Mr Wilson was at his girlfriend's house — where he was later arrested — at the time of Mr Todd's death.
The trial continues before Justice Kevin Nicholson without a jury.
