Woodchipper murder trial: Property owner tells Bruce Saunders trial his death ‘didn’t make sense’

The owner of the property where Bruce Saunders’ body was found in a wood chipper says there was no point after asking questions about the horrific death, a court has heard.

At first, Sharon Beighton was shocked to learn that Bruce Saunders had fallen into a wood chipper in a “terrible accident” on her property.

But Ms Beighton later thought it was pointless after asking Gregory Lee Roser about the tragedy, she told the Brisbane Supreme Court.

Roser, 63, and Sharon Graham, 61, were charged with murder after Mr Saunders, 54, died while working on Mrs Beighton’s property north of Brisbane in November 2017.

Graham is accused of asking Roser and another man Peter Koenig to kill Mr Saunders and make it look like an accident to claim his $750,000 life insurance policy.

Mrs. Beighton had fallen asleep while Mr. Saunders, Roser and Koenig were felling trees on her property at Gympie before being abruptly awakened.

She said that when she went out, Koenig appeared in shock and Roser looked like he was throwing up.

“I remember… thinking where’s Bruce?” Mrs. Beighton told the court that on Tuesday.

‘Peter said, ‘A terrible accident has happened.’ Greg said to me, ‘I tried to save him, I tried to pull him out… he went through the shredder’.”

Ms Beighton said she was surprised the police had not been called but was told that Roser’s phone had no reception.

She told the jury that her property was “greatly received.”

But Mrs. Beighton said Roser later told her he had called Graham “at the chipper” to tell her what had happened, and had to call an ambulance for her because “her blood pressure was through the roof.”

When Roser and Koenig returned from the police station where they made a statement, Ms Beighton said she asked what had happened.

She said Roser told her that Mr. Saunders had been an “absolute idiot” and “stood on the shredder and leaned against it.”

Roser also told her that Mr Saunders was “blurred” that day and was bleeding after being hit on the head by a falling branch.

However, Ms Beighton said she had seen Mr Saunders before and he appeared to be in good health.

“I didn’t see any blood on Bruce, so it didn’t make sense to me. I guess I was in shock (so) I didn’t think about questioning a lot of things until later,” she said.

Graham was in a “love square” with Roser, Koenig and Mr. Saunders, and for months plotted the latter’s murder, the court heard.

Mrs Beighton’s granddaughter told the jury that Graham would make a ‘big deal’ about how much money Mr Saunders had and that ‘he would die first and she would get everything’.

Keira-Lee Beighton confirmed that Graham also said ‘it’s not my fault he loves me and wants to give me everything’.

However, former colleagues said Mr Saunders was in debt and needed to borrow money to maintain Graham’s lifestyle, but he never said it to his partner for fear of losing her.

Keren Armstrong said Saunders would cry to tell her that Graham had beaten him.

Another colleague, Christeena Grills, said that a month before his death, a “distraught” Mr Saunders had called to say that Graham had been verbally abusive.

Saunders had also told her that Graham was “dominant and controlling” and that he was “quite afraid of her,” the court heard.

Ms Grills said Graham had told Saunders that a former partner “knew people who knew how to make someone disappear”.

Graham would also demand money, with Mr Saunders at one point “coinciding” and paying her $11,000, the court heard.

When Mrs. Grills suggested that Graham leave, Mr. Saunders said to her, “I know I must,” but he didn’t know how to do it.

Roser and Graham plead not guilty to murder.

The trial for Judge Martin Burns continues.