A Brisbane jury has been discharged in the trial of a man accused of murder after his estranged wife was fatally struck by a sledgehammer.
Shaun Robert Sturgess "lost his s***" after discussing child support payments with his wife and bludgeoned her in February 2020, Brisbane Supreme Court was told.
Mother-of-two Jacqueline Sturgess, 45, was left lying face down in a pool of her own blood by Sturgess who then went out drinking, the jury heard.
Married for 17 years, Mrs Sturgess had separated from her husband and left the Narangba home with their two daughters in February 2020.
When she returned in April to pick up property at the house, Sturgess struck her in the head at least once from behind with a 1.8kg sledgehammer in a fit of rage, the Crown alleged.
Sturgess disposed of the sledgehammer over the back fence and walked to the nearby bottle shop, eventually spending the night drinking at a mate's place without mentioning his wife, the jury was told.
Defence barrister Chris Wilson said there was no dispute that Sturgess struck the fatal blow.
However, he said the jury had to decide whether there was an intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm when Sturgess hit his wife with the sledgehammer.
Sturgess, 53, had pleaded not guilty to murder at the trial before Justice Melanie Hindman.
After about 14 hours of deliberating, the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and was discharged on Thursday.
The matter is listed for review next week with a retrial likely later this year.
Sturgess has been remanded in custody.
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