A JURY has been shown almost life-sized photos of blood stains in the house and the backyard of a woman who police allege was murdered in Tamworth almost two years ago.
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Several photographs taken by forensic officers were shown to the jury of six men and six women in the NSW Supreme Court in Tamworth.
Troy Jason Ruttley is standing trial for the murder of his partner Johann Morgan who the Crown alleges was killed on or about August 9, 2015, in Tamworth. Her body has never been found.
Officer-in-charge of the investigation Detective Senior Constable Grahame Goodwin was the 40th witness in the murder trial and said a series of photographs with markers were almost to scale of the blood stains.
He said during a crime scene warrant where police searched Ms Morgan’s Cole Rd home, police found blood stains in the bedroom used by her daughter, and outside.
Crown prosecutor Bryan Rowe earlier told the trial DNA swabs from the blood stains had identified an unknown female B which was “more than 1.1 billion people likely to be the DNA of Johann Mavis Morgan”.
He told the jury police had identified three separate blood stains in the backyard including a stain which was “consistent with a pool of blood” along with six blood stains near the house that “make up what you might call a trail”.
In his opening address he also told the jury a pool of blood had been identified in the bedroom along with an indentation in the wall.
Mr Rowe said an expert evidence to be presented showed “the amount of blood that is indicative of a significant injury or injuries”, adding that the “loss of blood could be as high as 25 to 30 per cent”.
Detective Senior Constable Brent Robinson told the jury he went to Ruttley’s house in August, 2015, and asked Ruttley to talk to police who were investigating Ms Morgan’s disappearance. He said Ruttley told him “all I know is that we had an argument and I told her over the phone … to go and stick it in her arse”.
He told the court Ruttley said to him he then “hung up” but hadn't seen his phone since.
Senior Constable Lauren Ford recalled speaking with Ruttley in the early stages of the investigation after a missing persons report was filed for Ms Morgan. She said Ruttley told her “this is normal, last time something like this happened I just left and went to Sydney for five weeks". The trial continues.