CARLY McBride could have been killed by her ex-partner or robbed and killed while looking to buy drugs before her body was dumped in bushland outside Scone, a jury has heard.
Sayle Kenneth Newson, 43, Ms McBride's boyfriend of about eight weeks at the time of her disappearance, is on trial in Newcastle Supreme Court accused of murdering Ms McBride at Muswellbrook on September 30, 2014, and dumping her body in bush about 25 metres from Bunnan Road at Owens Gap.
The prosecution allege Mr Newson - who Crown prosecutor Lee Carr said had competed in a number of professional Muay Thai fights - intercepted Ms McBride after she left a visit with her daughter and killed her by inflicting a number of blows to her head and back.
Ms McBride's body was found nearly two years later in August 2016.
During his closing address on Thursday, defence barrister Chris Watson put forward two "alternate reasonable hypotheses" to Mr Newson's involvement, including that Ms McBride was robbed and killed by a stranger or that her ex-partner, whose house she visited on the day of her disappearance, was involved in her death.
He said Ms McBride's ex was the only person who says she left his house on the day she went missing and that he had the "motive and opportunity" to kill her.
Mr Watson said a forensic pathologist opined that the injuries Ms McBride suffered would have caused "torrential" bleeding and yet there was no traces of blood found in Mr Newson's car.
"The car itself would have been drenched in blood," Mr Watson said. "If there was any blood in that vehicle we would have heard about it. "Because it would have been a powerful piece of evidence. But in fact it is exculpatory - it helps his position. That on September 30 he had nothing to do with the disappearance of the deceased and had nothing to do with her killing whatsoever."
During his closing address on Wednesday, Mr Carr told the jury that motivated by "jealousy and possessiveness", Mr Newson had the opportunity to intercept Ms McBride after she left the home at Muswellbrook and the "combat sport skills" to inflict the fatal blows to her head and back before dumping her body in remote bushland outside Scone
Justice Mark Ierace, SC, will deliver his summing up before the jury retires.
