Wealthy Melbourne sex worker Jazzy O died in sex act gone wrong, the man accused of murdering her says.
The body of stripper and escort Johanna "Jazzy O" Martin was found wrapped in a sheet in a Port Melbourne street in October 2011.
The 65-year-old had ligature marks around her neck and her injuries were consistent with neck compression, the Victorian Supreme Court trial heard.
Steve Constantinou, 49, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Martin, who was also known as Honi.
Constantinou's barrister Shane Tyrrell said in his opening address on Wednesday that Ms Martin's death was the tragic result of a sex act gone wrong.
He did not dispute that Constantinou was with Ms Martin when she died.
"You may find that this was, as you will hear throughout the trial, a sex act gone wrong," Mr Tyrrell said.
"Is this an intentional cold-blooded murder for the sake of some $8500 or is this some innocent act gone wrong?"
Prosecutor Mark Rochford SC told jurors Constantinou killed Ms Martin when she asked that he repay $8500 he had borrowed from her.
He then left her body at his Port Melbourne apartment while he sold her jewellery at a Footscray pawn broker, before disposing of her body.
Ms Martin's last telephone call was made to Constantinou and her body was found a short distance from her home, the jury heard.
Constantinou's car can also be placed in the area the body was disposed of through his GPS.
Constantinou gave a mixture of lies and truths to investigators during a police interview, the court heard.
In one version Constantinou said Ms Martin put rope around her own neck after locking herself in his bathroom.
People who knew Ms Martin told the court she did not take part in jobs that involved bondage.
One man who booked jobs for Ms Martin said he never booked any that involved restraint such as bondage or choking.
A friend of Ms Martin's, who was formerly involved in the sex industry, said Ms Martin considered bondage dangerous.
"She said she would never be involved in a bondage situation because it wasn't safe, she had no control," the woman told the court.
"She thought that people that were involved in that sort of thing were silly and it was a great risk."
The trial before Justice Phillip Priest continues on Thursday.
