Insurance Policy 'joke'

Newcastle Herald

Saturday April 9, 2005

By JASON GORDON

ON the day her husband was shot dead in their Muswellbrook lounge room, Michelle Willard sent a message to her real estate agent to proceed with a planned house purchase, Newcastle Supreme Court was told yesterday.

The court also heard Mrs Willard had told a real estate agent her husband was going to die, that her psychic had predicted his death, that she had test-driven a new Holden Commodore before his death, had boasted that she was going to come into some money and had joked about keeping her husband's life insurance policy "by the phone".

Mrs Willard is charged with murdering her husband Michael on February 22, 2003. She has pleaded not guilty.

Appearing before Justice Anthony Whealy yesterday was Muswellbrook real estate agent Leigh Carter.

Ms Carter told the court that two days before Mr Willard's death, Mrs Willard told her that her grandfather had passed away and she would be getting $125,000 from his estate.

"Then she started saying something was going to happen to Mick," she said. "She told me her psychic had turned over the death card. I said the death might be her tenancy or a cat or dog but she said 'No, I know it's going to be Mick'.

"She said 'we keep his life insurance papers by the phone so I know where they are when it happens'."

Under cross-examination by Willard's barrister Belinda Rigg, Ms Carter denied that the comments were made during a "reasonably jovial" discussion which referred to injuries Mr Willard had sustained weeks before at work.

Another real estate agent, John Boyle, said he received a message on his mobile phone instructing him to call a friend of Mrs Willard's on the day of Mr Willard's death.

"I was told that Mrs Willard wanted to continue with the planned purchase [of a home near the Muswellbrook house they were renting] because that's what Mick would have wanted," Mr Boyle said.

Earlier in the day, the court heard evidence from two more witnesses who identified a gun believed to have been used to shoot Mr Willard at close range as he slept on a lounge.

Both witnesses alleged the gun had previously been in the possession of a juvenile known to the court as TJ. The juvenile is one of two co-offenders who the prosecution alleges conspired with Mrs Willard to murder her husband.

The hearing resumes on Monday.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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