The naked and beaten body of a man stabbed to death was found on the side of a southwest Sydney road after a fight erupted over drugs, a jury has been told.
Jamie Phillips, 46, died of a stab wound to the heart before he was found uncovered with his legs in a folded position in a vacant Campbelltown lot on October 25, 2018.
Barry Paul Cavanagh and Nathan McIvor, both 38, and Sean David O'Keefe, 39, have pleaded not guilty to his murder.
The men acted in a joint criminal enterprise to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Phillips through a "sustained or prolonged physical assault" that led to Cavanagh pulling out a knife that ultimately killed him, the Crown submits.
Forensic evidence from all three men was found at the crime scene while Cavanagh and McIvor's were located on Phillips' body.
But who pulled the knife on their alleged drug dealer is a question for the jury.
The trial will hear evidence from Sharyn Gallagher who met the trio at Campbelltown McDonald's car park in the early hours of October 25, crown prosecutor Chris Taylor said in his opening address to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Gallagher has already pleaded guilty to destroying CCTV footage recorded from inside her home and is testifying to reduce her sentence.
She says the group travelled back to her Ambarvale home where the men disappeared with Mr Phillips into a bedroom, from which she heard shouting and loud thumps "consistent with wrestling within this room".
After asking what was going on, one man answered: "It's OK Shaz it's just us boys sorting out our shit, we'll be out in a minute."
Feeling scared she retreated into her room. O'Keefe and McIvor, holding a knife, followed her in.
"I don't want to have to hurt you," she says McIvor said to her.
Later she recalls seeing a man lying facedown in a room wearing Mr Phillips' distinctive bright orange sneakers before she was quickly ushered away and locked in her bedroom using a bookshelf.
Outside she heard words to the effect: "Are you sure are you sure, do you reckon we should take her out too?" by Cavanagh to which O'Keefe responded: "She'll be right ... don't hurt her".
When she was released only Cavanagh remained with blood on his shoes, which he asked her to remove.
"Sorry for making all the noise and if we upset the neighbours. Sorry about them boys, we all got out of hand with each other," he allegedly said before leaving.
Mr Phillips' dumped body was found that day with blunt force trauma wounds to his face and a "very high level" of ice in his system.
The punch-up started because Cavanagh and O'Keefe stole ice from Mr Phillips who tried to grab it back, Mr Taylor said.
O'Keefe's lawyer Richard Pontello SC argued Mr Phillips had turned increasingly irrational and aggressive in the months leading up to his death from his heavy use of ice.
"This is a tragic case of self-defence," Mr Pontello told the jury.
Without warning, Mr Phillips lunged at O'Keefe who stabbed him in self-defence, while the two other men were not in the room, he said.
But the Crown submits Cavanagh was the one who stabbed Mr Phillips after one witness says O'Keefe was pressured to put up his hand and would be "looked after by the other boys" if he did.
McIvor's lawyer does not dispute his involvement in relocating the body and his burning several of Mr Phillips' items after, while Cavanagh's defence Winston Terracini implored the jury to keep an open mind.
"My client didn't stab anyone," Mr Terracini said.
The trial continues.
