A Launceston man was surprised when his friend Natalie Maher suddenly announced that she was returning to Western Australia in October 2019, a Supreme Court jury in Launceston heard.
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Key witness David Nguyen gave evidence that he was a friend of both Ms Maher and her mother Veronica Corstorphine during a three-month period the pair lived in Keane Street, South Launceston.
Ms Maher, 46, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Corstorphine, 71, on October 3, 2019.
The Crown alleges Ms Maher smothered her mother with a pillow, while the defence suggests she could have died by suicide or natural causes.
Mr Nguyen described their relationship as complicated. "There was friction and a sense of history between them," he said.
He said Ms Corstorphine "got in Natalie's face" during a disagreement at a dinner on October 2, 2019. He said she was pointing her finger in Ms Maher's face.
He said he had never seen that side of her character.
"I do remember Veronica stomping off to her bedroom and closing the hallway door," he said.
He said Ms Maher messaged him on the evening of October 3: "OMG Veronica is losing it because my phone is too loud, she called me pathetic and a loser and that I'm a dead person."
"She's being a dick and I'm ignoring her."
He said that on Friday, October 4, Ms Maher contacted him and asked him to pick her up at Keane Street about 7pm.
"I picked up sushi on the way," he said.
Mr Nguyen said he had not gone inside the house.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Evan Hughes, Mr Nguyen said he had received a message from Ms Maher that "she [Veronica] said she doesn't want to see you."
He said they went back to his place in Newstead. He told Crown Prosecutor John Ransom that Ms Maher was "upset with the way Veronica treats her."
"What happened about midnight?" Mr Ransom asked.
"She did surprise me saying she was going to fly back to WA ... the next day Saturday," he said.
He said he had taken Ms Maher back to Keane Street about 2am to pick up her luggage.
Ms Maher was inside for about half an hour and emerged with two bags. He did not go inside and they returned to his house.
He took Ms Maher to the airport at 5.30pm to catch a flight to Perth.
The jury has heard that Ms Corstorphines' jewellery and a $5000 pendant was found by police in Ms Maher's hotel in Bunbury, Western Australia, in November.
Mr Nguyen said he had maintained contact with Ms Maher and had tried to contact Ms Corstorphine.
Ms Corstorphine's body was not found until October 29.
He said that Ms Maher had asked him to contact Ms Corstorphine's sister Pauline about the will.
He said it was about the executor Dale Mason "ruining Natalie's life."
Mr Nguyen said Ms Corstorphine had mentioned suicide in their regular Wednesday night dinners particularly in relation to going blind and not being able to read books.
General practitioner Glen Richardson gave evidence that Ms Corsorphine had been prescribed anti depressant drugs in 2005 but had successfully gone off the drug by 2006.
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Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
