In a Brisbane murder trial, a witness, Jessica Noy, testified that she saw Andrew Walsh being stabbed before his body was found wrapped in plastic and encased in concrete. Noy acknowledged that she previously misled police while giving evidence against Joshua Searston, 27, and Dewald De Klerk, 30, who are accused of Walsh’s murder in November 2021.
During her testimony, Noy claimed she witnessed Searston assault Walsh by stabbing him, “skulldragging” him, and slapping him. The gruesome discovery of Walsh’s body occurred in February 2022 when police found it at the bottom of an oil pit in a transport depot in Coopers Plains, Brisbane. The court was shown a layout of the facility that Noy had marked during a police interview, indicating the areas where the attack took place, including markings denoting blood trails leading to stairs.
Noy stated, “That’s where Ghost was stabbed,” referring to Walsh, who was known by that nickname. The prosecution sought to establish the details of the attack, while the defence raised questions about Noy’s credibility, especially regarding her methamphetamine use prior to the incident. Noy admitted to consuming double her usual amount on the night of Walsh’s alleged murder but maintained that this did not impair her memory of the events.
Defence barrister Anna Cappellano challenged Noy on discrepancies in her account when compared to her earlier statements, which Noy conceded included inaccuracies due to her initial misrepresentations to the police. Nevertheless, she insisted that Searston was indeed responsible for the stabbing, emphatically rejecting the defence’s claims that he did not attack Walsh.
The jury learned that Walsh’s body was discovered about 2.5 meters into the oil pit, bound to a toilet system, with evidence of significant decomposition. Injuries included nasal bone fractures, dislodged teeth, damage to his shoulder blade and collarbone, as well as stab wounds to the abdomen. The trial continues to unfold in Brisbane Supreme Court as the prosecution aims to establish the full details surrounding Walsh’s violent death.