Johnathan Paul Parker, 51, of Aldinga Beach, is on trial in South Australia's Supreme Court, charged with the murder of his housemate, 38-year-old Krystal Marshall, in October 2023. Parker has pleaded not guilty to the murder but admitted to setting Marshall's remains on fire, pleading guilty to destroying human remains to pervert the cause of justice.
Prosecutor Jim Pearce KC told the court that Parker allegedly killed Marshall between 2:09 pm and 2:55 pm on October 19, 2023. The following day, police conducted a welfare check at Marshall's home after she failed to attend her morning shift at Coles in Christies Beach.
The court heard that Parker had been living at Marshall's Aldinga Beach house with her ex-wife, Anastasia Marshall. Despite feigning ignorance about Marshall's whereabouts, Parker allegedly spent much of the 24 hours following her death inside the house with her body lying on the bed in the front bedroom.
Parker allegedly told a friend that he had strangled Marshall and asked for help to dispose of her body. He also admitted to setting her body on fire on October 20, 2023. Medical evidence presented by Pearce indicated that Marshall died before the fire, as there was no soot found in her airways or lungs.
During the trial, it was mentioned that Parker and Anastasia Marshall were likely inside the house, 'playing possum,' and Parker claimed he was only 'f***ing around anyway.'
The trial continues as the court examines the evidence surrounding the death of Krystal Marshall.
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