ORANGE charity worker Michael Healy had come face-to-face with one of the men accused of his murder about the same week he died two years ago a Bathurst Supreme Court jury was told yesterday.
A man standing trial for 57-year-old Mr Healy's murder, Zethan Horan, 23, had posed as a security guard knocking on Mr Healy's door in Wisteria Place, Orange, shortly before he was murdered between March 10-14, 2006.
One of Horan's co-accused Nathaniel David Charman, who has already been sentenced for the manslaughter of Mr Healy, yesterday told how he faked security guard identity cards for he and Horan to carry out a recognisance on Mr Healy's home.
Horan has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but is on trial for murder of Mr Healy with the jury to decide whether the evidence supports "intentional murder" or "felony murder" offences that both carry 25 year sentences.
Charman, who was 21 when sentenced for the manslaughter of Mr Healy, said yesterday that he and Horan heard Mr Healy had a safe that contained lots of money, during cross examination yesterday by Horan's barrister, Phillip Boulten, SC.
Charman told Mr Boulten they also heard Mr Healy had valuable computers they had planned to steal.
While Charman had been told of "lots of money and $60,000 in the safe", he told Mr Boulten that Horan only knew about "thousands, tens of thousands of dollars".
It was about a week before Mr Healy was killed Charman and Horan dressed in black with their security "badges", Charman told the trial jury. Charman said he knew Orange well because he had grown up there until the age of 12.
Charman had taken a school photo of himself to make a false security guard identity. He also made a badge for Horan to carry to Mr Healy's house knocking on his door, not remembering the exact night.
The trial resumed yesterday morning with Charman's fiancee Tamara Garvin giving further evidence when she identified a torch believed to have been the blunt weapon used to cause fatal head injuries to Mr Healy.
Garvin related how Horan and his girlfriend Bryony Hatch, Charman and a man who cannot be identified came home on the night Mr Healy died and she'd been grabbed by the arm and told, "Nathaniel didn't get out of the car. I'll tell you later".
According to Garvin the man co-accused with Horan over Mr Healy's murder who cannot be identified told her how Horan and he went into Mr Healy's house.
"The guy was at home, I threw punches but he wouldn't stay down. The bastard kept getting up," Garvin said she had been told.
The co-accused had said: "I told Zethan to find the money and softwear. He [Mr Healy] just wouldn't stay down, he swung at me, missed and hit the back of his head on the door frame."
The trial expected to last three weeks is continuing.
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