A teenage witness has broken down in tears as she denied trying to have a man blamed for his lover's murder to cover up her own alleged role in the killing.
Micheal John Duffy is accused of helping an old flame, Rachael Evans, strangle Colleen "Debbie" Ayers during a drug-fuelled party at her Picton family property southwest of Sydney in May 2012.
Duffy's barrister James Trevallion has said his client was simply "present" during the fatal attack, which he alleges was carried out by Evans and a teenager who was also at the property that night.
The young woman, who cannot be named because she was only 16 at the time of Ms Ayers' death, told a NSW Supreme Court jury on Wednesday that Evans telephoned her weeks after the killing and said if police tracked her down she should point the finger at Duffy.
"She was like, `I'm handing myself in - blame Duffy', and then hung up," the teenager said.
She said she had never agreed to the plan and had been honest with investigators.
But she agreed that prosecutors had offered her an indemnity in exchange for her testimony.
"You knew if you maintained the story until you leave the court, until the end of these proceedings, you will not be prosecuted for anything you did in relation to the death of Debbie," Mr Trevallion said.
"I'm not lying. I'm not," the witness protested, wiping away tears.
She said she was "terrified" of Evans, who had always looked "evil" and talked of wanting to become a serial killer.
She agreed she had argued with Ms Ayers in the hours before she died.
But she denied striking Ms Ayers with a bottle as Evans pulled a belt tight around the woman's neck.
Speaking at the trial, the teenager has described the drug and alcohol-fuelled days leading up to the attack.
She said she was bullied into filming Evans, Ms Ayers and Duffy having sex at a hotel room, and then the following day when they arrived at Ms Ayers parents' property, the group continued drinking and doing drugs.
Later when Evans heard Duffy and Ms Ayers having sex, the teenager said she "lost the plot".
Evans, who has pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Ayers, is testify on Wednesday afternoon at Duffy's trial.
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