“He declined to commit the murder on the basis he thought it was a stupid idea, and he didn’t kill innocent women.”
Police outside court on day one of David Pye’s murder trial.Credit: 9 News Perth
But conversations between the pair continued, Whalley alleged, and on another occasion the soldier sold him some ammunition.
During the delivery of that ammo in July of 2020, Whalley alleged that Pye then started to talk to the soldier about Nick Martin and the “history of antagonism and disagreement between them”, including Pye’s belief that Martin had put a contact out to have him killed.
Whalley then alleged that Pye asked the man to kill Martin, giving him $10,000 to scope out the situation.
The soldier was at the time out of work due to a workplace injury and had just launched a mobile coffee van business with his girlfriend and was in need of money, the court heard.
The man then “conducted reconnaissance of Nick Martin and his house”, Whalley said, and exchanged messages with Pye about what he had found, which included flying a drone over his home to scope out the security system.
But after he was told that Martin regularly attended drag racing events at the Motorplex in Kwinana, the soldier suggested that he kill him at long range for the fee of $150,000.
On December 12, 2020 just after 8.30pm Martin was fatally shot during a race meeting in front of his horrified family and members of the public.
A man sitting behind Martin was shot with the same bullet that exited Martin’s lower back.
Whalley told the court Pye later text the soldier two coffin emojis and a hand clap.
“Was there two?” the soldier responded.
“One dead, one serious,” Pye allegedly responded.
Pye denies any of the allegations with his legal counsel David Hallowes SC telling the court that the sniper is “a liar”, that he never suggested he kill his ex-girlfriend and that he did not pay him to shoot dead Nick Martin.
“The credibility of [the soldier] is central to this,” he said.
“The allegation came from [the soldier] and the prosecutions case stands or falls on that.
“We say [the soldier] is a liar. We say dishonesty courses through the veins of [the soldier] and we’ll show that through our cross-examination of him.
The soldier is the prosecution’s first witness and will begin giving evidence on Thursday.
Pye is facing trial by judge-alone.
Read the full article here
