Woman witnessed man being stabbed before body found in concrete, court told

In a murder trial in Brisbane, a woman testified that she witnessed Andrew Walsh being stabbed before his body was found wrapped in plastic and encased in concrete. This testimony provides a crucial eyewitness account for the case, potentially influencing the jury's decision.

Jessica Noye admitted to previously lying to police during the Brisbane Supreme Court trial of Joshua Siston, 27, and Dewald de Klerk, 30, who are accused of murder. However, she insisted that she witnessed Siston stab, drag, and slap Walsh. Both Siston and de Klerk have pleaded not guilty to murdering Walsh, 35, in November 2021, maintaining their innocence throughout the proceedings.

The court previously heard that Walsh's body, wrapped in plastic and encased in concrete, was discovered at the bottom of a grease pit at a transport depot in Coopers Plains, south of Brisbane, in February 2022. The jury yesterday saw a layout of the transport depot that Noye marked when questioned by police in May 2022. Noye stated that one of the markings indicated where Walsh, referred to as "Ghost," was dragged out by Siston.

The layout also contained red markings that Noye claimed represented bloodstains left after Walsh was attacked. The court heard that two trails of blood led downstairs in the warehouse. "That's where 'Ghost' was stabbed," Noye said in court. Prosecutor Chris Cook asked, "Stabbed by who?" She replied, "Stabbed by Josh."

Defense attorney Anna Cappellano questioned Noye about her methamphetamine use between August and November 2021. Noye told the court that she would inject three to four times a day, totaling 0.4 grams. On the night of Walsh's alleged murder, she ingested twice her usual dose. When Cappellano asked if this would affect her memory of events, Noye replied "no," asserting the clarity of her recollection despite her drug use.

Cappellano then reviewed Noye's testimony from a pre-trial hearing in 2023, where she said Siston stabbed Walsh with his right hand. She asked, "Do you have a clear memory of what you saw?" Noye replied, "I have a clear memory of 'Ghost' being stabbed." Cappellano asked, "But you can't be sure if Josh stabbed him with his left or right hand?" Noye replied, "Yes," indicating some uncertainty about the specific hand used.

Cappellano pointed out to Noye that her testimony at the pre-trial hearing and the statements she provided to police differed from what she said in court yesterday. Noye admitted to lying and providing inaccurate information in the five statements she gave to police in 2022. But when Cappellano suggested that Siston did not stab, drag, or slap Walsh, Noye refuted the claim, standing by her core account of the events.

The jury previously heard that police found Walsh's body 2.5 meters deep in the grease pit of the warehouse, tied to a toilet system, wrapped in plastic, and encased in concrete. His body showed significant decomposition, a fractured nasal bone, missing teeth, fractures around the right scapula and clavicle, and a stab wound to the abdomen, detailing the extent of the violence inflicted upon him.