A man twice convicted of murdering a Goondiwindi mother of three has appealed against his conviction for the second time.
Robert Ian Trebeck was found guilty of killing Alexis Jeffery and dumping her partially naked body on the banks of the Macintyre River in March 2014.
Ms Jeffrey was smothered with a pair of jeans in the early hours of the morning after meeting Trebeck at a Goondiwindi pub.
He twice pleaded not guilty, insisting he left Ms Jeffery and walked to the house he was staying at with his then-fiancee.
Trebeck in 2016 successfully appealed his first conviction arguing the conviction was based on circumstantial evidence.
He was again convicted in May 2019 and has again challenged the verdict in the Queensland Court of Appeal on Monday.
Barrister Simon Lewis argued the conviction was unreasonable, suggesting second suspect Daniel Rowsell could have committed the crime.
"Rowsell lied about meeting his father in my submission ... he lied about his drug use," Mr Lewis said.
"He clearly had a sexual interest in the deceased - as did the appellant."
He conceded that while Trebeck had "hooked up" with Ms Lewis, he had no cause to kill her.
"He had achieved the aim of spending a couple of weeks in contact with the deceased and that was, to use the vernacular, to hook up with her."
While Trebeck lied to police during the investigation, it was to "cover up an infidelity, not a killing".
It was "nigh on impossible" for the jury to be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of Trebeck's guilt.
"The trial has been set up as a whodunnit," Mr Lewis said.
"There is a viable alternative proposition which the Crown would have to disprove.
"The jury could not have been satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Rowsell was not the killer."
Prosecutor Philip McCarthy admitted it was a circumstantial case, but questioned the suggestion of Mr Rowsell's involvement.
"It is only his evidence of Mr Trebeck that placed Mr Rowsell at the scene whist Alexis Jeffrey was still alive," Mr McCarthy said.
Trebeck's DNA was found on the victim and the pair had been together that night, he said.
The court has reserved its decision.
