A man fleeing the bloodied body of his girlfriend he allegedly stabbed dozens of times was spotted driving erratically by NSW police officers on New Year's Eve.
Their high-speed pursuit of what they thought was a drunk driver then led to an alleged confession he "had just killed his girlfriend," the Wollongong Supreme Court was told on Tuesday.
Petero Baleinapuka, 58, who is standing trial for murder, has denied stabbing Angela O'Donnell, 53, at least a dozen times in her Woonona apartment on the NSW south coast on December 31, 2019.
Crown prosecutor David Scully in his opening address said CCTV footage positioned opposite the apartment captured audio of the woman's final cries about 10.38pm.
"Petero Petero, look at me," followed by her screaming "Oh my god," and some swear words, the jury has been told they will hear in evidence.
Defence lawyer Philip Young SC asked the jury to keep an open mind, and that his client had not made many of the alleged confessions to the killing.
"He denies Angela O'Donnell died at his hand. He will deny being responsible for the injuries that led to her death," Mr Young said.
Ms O'Donnell had been communicating with family and friends that day up until her final message received by her brother at about 10.14pm.
"Yay Woonona," she responded to photographs he sent of their time together in her local area.
The couple's movements that day before the alleged murder were "unremarkable," Mr Scully said.
That morning they visited Ms O'Donnell's aunt in Thirroul and shopped at their local Liquorland which they usually frequented up to three times a week.
About 8pm they walked together to Bulli Surf club for a drink, and later entered the Beaches Hotel in Thirroul at 9.20pm.
Minutes afterwards they left together in an Uber home.
Just before midnight Detective Senior Constable Dylan Liackman spotted Baleinapuka driving a BMW "very erratically".
The driver appeared "nervous and fidgety" as the police officer approached before speeding away, Det Sen Const Liackman told the court.
Following a high-speed police pursuit, Baleinapuka lost control and crashed the car.
He was arrested by officers who heard him confess to stabbing his girlfriend to death, the Crown says.
Baleinapuka allegedly said his girlfriend had thrown a Christmas ornament that struck his left eye, and when he tried to later hug her on the couch she punched him in the face, before he stabbed her "three times".
He also explained there was another man in the house who soon disappeared, but the Crown has dismissed this as a lie.
In the "ferocity of the attack" the knife slipped and cut Baleinapuka's hand causing his blood along with the victim's to be found throughout the apartment, Mr Scully said.
Baleinapuka and Ms O'Donnell had met in October, and had only been living together in her apartment for one month before her death.
The trial continues.
