A former neighbour of Veronica Corstorphine heard an argument between two people in the days around the time of the alleged murder, a Supreme Court jury heard.
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Samuel Heyes was giving evidence in the trial of Natalie Maher, 48, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of her mother Ms Corstorphine on October 3, 2019.
The Crown alleges Ms Maher smothered her mother with a pillow between October 3-5, 2019.
The jury also heard from lawyer Ross Hart that Ms Corstorphine's will had a superannuation balance of $135,000 and that one third of it was left to Natalie Varga.
RELATED: Accused complained about mother
Mr Heyes told crown prosecutor John Ransom that he lived over the back fence from Ms Corstorphine.
"In October of 2019 did you hear something strange or unusual?," he asked.
"Yes it was a few weeks after we got back an argument which was very rare in that area," he said.
"We were in the kitchen, it was odd but it was not our business so we didn't worry too much about it."
He said it was two different voices but he couldn't be sure who it was.
He said that the argument was after he had finished work and was around dinner time 6.30pm to 7.30 pm.
"Are you able to say whether it was outside or inside?" Mr Ransom asked.
"Going by how loud it was I would have said it was at the back door of the property," Mr Heyes said.
The jury heard last week that Ms Maher came from Western Australia to stay with her mother in Keane Street West in South Launceston in August 2019.
Mr Heyes said that in the few days [October 10] after the argument he asked his wife to send a text message to Ms Corstorphine.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Evan Hughes, Mr Heyes said the message was sent "three, five, six days" after he heard the sound of raised voices.
Under re-examination by Mr Ransom, Mr Heyes agreed that he was asked by Detective Hindle whether the argument he heard could have been on October 3.
"I agreed that it could have been," he said.
Mr Heyes said that he and his wife were close friends and often had Ms Corstorpine visit to play board games.
"Did she ever express a wish to commit suicide?" Mr Ransom asked.
"She did touch on it in a soft jokey manner," he said.
"We were talking about old age ... she said she didn't want to grow old and would rather suicide," he said.
He said she did not have a specific plan.
Mr Heyes told Mr Hughes that he did not believe the discussion included a part about not wanting to be a burden.
The trial continues.
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