A man has denied he confessed to his brother regarding the alleged murder of a woman in rural Victoria last year.
Brian Robert Barnes, 68, is standing trial over the death of 70-year-old Quambatook woman Merril Kelly.
The trial will continue in Bendigo next week.
A man accused of killing a woman in her bedroom in north-west Victoria and setting her body alight has denied confessing the crime to his brother.
The burnt body of 70-year-old Merril Kelly was found by firefighters at the cemetery in her rural hometown of Quambatook in January 2025.
Brian Robert Barnes, aged 68 and also from Quambatook, has pleaded not guilty to her murder and is standing trial in the Supreme Court in Bendigo.
The prosecution has alleged Mr Barnes snuck into Ms Kelly’s bedroom in the middle of the night and fatally struck her on the head multiple times.
The prosecution alleged he then restrained her hands with zip ties and drove her body to the Quambatook cemetery, then used petrol to set her alight.
Barrister David Cronin SC today told the jury Mr Barnes denied he told his brother words to the effect of, "I have premeditated murdered someone" or "I premeditatedly murdered someone", as alleged by the prosecution.
