A Queensland woman was tortured and bashed to death by her flatmate during a drug-fuelled night of violence, a court has heard.
The family of Amanda Quirk, 32, listened in a Brisbane court as a witness told of seeing her battered body on the floor of her home at Ipswich, southwest of Brisbane.
Christopher James Swan, 40, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Quirk on April 1, 2010, at the house he shared with her.
The Supreme Court heard Ms Quirk's body was later dumped. It was found in a decomposed state in bushland near Tenterfield in northern NSW a week later.
An autopsy couldn't determine how she died, but there was evidence of rib fractures and bleeding on her brain.
Crown prosecutor Ben Power said Ms Quirk had been assaulted by Swan, another flatmate and a friend on March 31, 2010, during a drive to score drugs.
The trio had accused Ms Quirk of ordering a "hit" on her flatmates in order to get her house back.
The Crown's case is that after the car trip, Swan bound Ms Quirk with duct tape and tortured her with a cigarette lighter to obtain access to her bank account.
He allegedly beat Ms Quirk so savagely she died.
"The defendant's intention was at least to give her a severe beating and in doing so he caused her death," Mr Power said.
Witness Michelle Mondientz admitted to assaulting Ms Quirk on March 31 and later helping Swan dispose of her body.
She said she didn't see Ms Quirk being killed but saw the "horrific" sight of her scratched, bruised and bleeding body.
"You could tell she had suffered pretty badly, very badly," the witness said.
Under cross examination Ms Mondientz agreed she'd struck a deal with police to get a reduced sentence, but denied killing Ms Quirk.
"I've got nothing to hide. I am telling the truth," she said.
The trial continues.
