Dwayne Robert Davies was allegedly alive and "cleaning himself up" in Launceston a few days after he was last seen, a court has heard.
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Mr Davies' wife Margaret Anne Otto, of Risdon Vale, and best friend Bradley Scott Purkiss, of Elderslie, are jointly charged with his alleged murder.
Both have pleaded not guilty.
Mr Davies was last seen by Mr Purkiss on Friday May 26, 2017, and his body was found just over a week later at Levendale.
The court heard a longtime friend of Mr Davies and Ms Otto was attending their Risdon Vale home on the Monday after the victim was last seen when he received a phone call indicating Mr Davies was alive in Launceston.
Tasmania Police Constable John Howe, who was at the residence to gain a picture of Mr Davies to distribute as part of the missing persons investigation, overhead the call.
"[The friend] told us he'd been speaking to a man named Greg Hutt," Constable Howe said.
"[He said] Greg Hutt had informed him Dwayne was in Launceston with [a man called] Maxie Morrison ... and Max was helping [Dwayne] clean up.
"[He said] Dwayne would call Ms Otto in three to five days."
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The court heard the caller, Gregory Terrence Hutt, had previously been convicted of murder for beating a man to death with a shotgun and the man alleged to be with Mr Davies in Launceston, Maxwell Douglas Morrison, had served prison time for failing to report the 2014 killing of Sorell woman Jodie Eaton, whose body was found on his property.
Constable Howe said Ms Otto did not appear to be affected by the information in the phone call.
"I thought she would react differently to that news - that he was alive and well," he said.
Constable Howe said he was not aware of Mr Hutt and Mr Morrison's criminal histories at the time of the call.
The information from the call was passed on to Tasmania Police Sergeant Eloise Penney who told the court she made further inquiries and failed to find any link between Mr Davies and Mr Morrison and between Mr Morrison and Launceston.
The court heard Sergeant Penney attended Mr Hutt's Goodwood home on Tuesday May 30, 2017.
"Mr Hutt confirmed he knew Mr Davies, because they grew up in the Risdon Vale area, but he hadn't seen him personally for a number of years," Sergeant Penney said.
"[He said he] heard from friends in Launceston Mr Davies was drying out from a drug bender.
"He said Mr Davies was a good person and everybody liked him and he would do all he could to find his location."
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Tasmania Police Constable Adam Eastley attend Mr Morrison's Pelham residence on the same evening.
"I asked if Dwayne Davies was there. He said no," Constable Eastley said.
Constable Eastley said Mr Morrison appeared "confused" and said he did not know Mr Davies.
Tattooist obsessed with Breaking Bad anti-hero
The court heard Mr Davies was obsessed with the character Walter White from the television show Breaking Bad.
Mr Purkiss' defence lawyer Alan Hensley described the television show as about "Walter White embarking on a drug-manufacturing enterprise".
Constable Howe told the court Ms Otto said Mr Davies had changed his appearance to look like Walter White.
Ms Otto said Mr Davies had become paranoid after his tattoo shop was graffitied and had installed CCTV cameras at their home and had been looking at getting a dog, Constable Howe said.
"She said she had a feeling Mr Davies had become involved in the underworld," he said.
The trial before Chief Justice Alan Blow continues.