AN accused murderer with a deep-seated hatred for his alleged victim later spoke to police of how easy it was to kill somebody, a court has heard.
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Lenah Valley man Brodie Lee Price has pleaded not guilty to shooting dead Jason William McPherson, 41, on January 17 last year.
In her opening address, Crown prosecutor Madeleine Wilson said it would be alleged Mr Price, 20, killed Mr McPherson following a long-running family dispute.
The court heard Mr Price allegedly bought a gun and ammunition in the lead-up to the attack and spoke of "shooting up" the deceased's Kingston house.
Ms Wilson alleged on the night of the murder, the accused and his girlfriend took morphine before driving to Mr McPherson's house shortly before midnight.
Jurors were told Mr Price approached the house alone and threw rocks and sticks onto the roof to lure the deceased or his brother, Justin "Tiny" McPherson, outside.
When Jason McPherson - who was home alone - opened the back door, he was allegedly hit in the chest with a single bullet.
Wounded, he phoned his brother and said: "Someone shot me ... I walked outside and someone shot me", the court heard.
When Justin McPherson arrived at the house about 30 minutes later, his brother was lying dead on the porch.
The court heard that following the shooting, Mr Price and his girlfriend drove to nearby bushland and threw the gun into thick scrub.
Woken hours later by messages about the shooting, the two allegedly returned and searched in vain for the gun.
The court heard Mr Price initially told police he had not been to Kingston on the night of the shooting, but he was arrested after officers found a .22 calibre cartridge beside his girlfriend's bed.
His girlfriend took police to where they allegedly disposed of the gun, which officers found the next day.
The court heard a fired casing in the rifle's chamber matched the cartridge found in the girl's room, as well as fragments found inside the alleged victim.
Jurors were told DNA found on the gun's barrel was a one-in-one-billion match with the accused.
The court heard while waiting for his lawyer in police custody, Mr Price allegedly told an officer: "It's so easy to kill someone, isn't it"?
Ms Wilson alleged he later told another officer: "I never meant to kill anyone. I'll still be young enough to have kids when I get out. I really want to have a family. How long do you think I'll get"?
The trial, before Justice Stephen Estcourt at the Supreme Court in Hobart, continues.
