A farmhand accused of bludgeoning a neighbouring farmer to death has shifted the blame to his boss, who he claims was trying to get rid of the murdered man.
Clinton Beau Wrigley, 40, is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murdering 58-year-old Joel Carter at a rural property in January 2023.
The farmer died of blunt-force trauma after being repeatedly bludgeoned over the head on the night of January 22 and or early the next day, the jury has been told.
On Monday, Wrigley claimed two men told him that his employer had expressed an interest in getting rid of Mr Carter before his death.
The jury had previously heard Wrigley's boss had numerous disagreements with Mr Carter, including one physical altercation.
The 40-year-old told the court he was pretty angry after realising his boss set him up by wearing a wire and recording their conversation.
In the taped conversation provided to police, Wrigley says he "didn't lose no sleep" over Mr Carter and "he deserved that".
When asked about claims, he said he meant the farmer deserved to die but maintained he hadn't known about the bloody nature of his death until later.
"Why would I lose sleep over someone dying?" he asked.
During the call, prosecutors allege Wrigley made damning admissions such as telling his boss "I'll blame you if I have to" and asserting there was "no trace back" to either of them.
"They can search everything, I've burnt it all," he says.
When questioned about the alleged confession, the farmhand said he was "just being a d***head" and he "wasn't really referring to nothing".
He denied burning anything and said he had been discussing rumours about Mr Carter's death when he spoke about throwing a match into a ute.
Wrigley is fighting allegations he stole Mr Carter's tools and his Toyota Hilux before setting the ute on fire near Nyngan in central NSW.
A witness previously gave evidence that Wrigley told him he had bludgeoned the farmer to death with a rubber mallet and hidden the weapon inside the burning ute.
But Wrigley called the witness - and several other witnesses - a liar during cross-examination.
Prosecutors claim he revealed a motive for the alleged murder during the covertly recorded call, in which he said "the main thing that done" Mr Carter was his poor treatment of his sister-in-law.
But the alleged injustice was a "pretty bad reason" for murder, Wrigley told the jury.
Mr Carter's body was found lying on a metal-framed bed in his lounge room in an advanced state of decomposition two days after he was killed.
A police examination showed the 58-year-old had died with an open head wound, multiple skull fractures and lacerations, the jury was told.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
