Blood stains and mysterious text messages were the subject of discussion as the trial of the woman accused of murdering 71-year-old retired farmer Robert Dickie continued.
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As 50-year-old Kylie So entered the courtroom in Dubbo flanked by prison officers for the second day of the trial, she had swapped out her prison greens for a black suit and a pink silk blouse.
A Vietnamese translator joined her in the dock.
Text messages sent after Dickie's disappearance
Before proceedings began, defence counsel Ian Nash alerted presiding judge Justice Mark Ierace to new evidence which had been uncovered.
Mr Nash said phone records show a text message was sent from Mr Dickie's mobile phone service on July 21, 2016, over a month after So is alleged to have murdered him.
The woman who received the messages cannot be named for legal reasons, however, she was known to Mr Dickie and was questioned "at length" at the time of his disappearance.
The message is currently being investigated.
Mr Dickie was last seen leaving his Elong Elong home on foot on June 14, 2016. His family, concerned for his well being, reported him missing two days later.
Further investigations in 2017 determined Mr Dickie had been murdered, despite his body having never been found. Police allege So murdered Mr Dickie sometime between June 14 and 15, 2016.
Blood in bedroom 'in excess of one litre', pathologist says
The crown's first witness was forensic pathologist Dr Allan Cala, who was called to the stand to speak to a series of blood stain photographs taken in Mr Dickie's bedroom.
It was this bloodshed evidence - uncovered by investigators a year after Mr Dickie's disappearance - which was used to presume him dead.
In 2018, Dr Cala was asked by detectives to provide an estimate on the amount of blood which may have been lost, based on pictures taken by investigations in 2017 showing dark stains on the underlay and floor beneath the carpet in the bedroom.
![Robert Dickie with his prized car, a late model red Mustang Shelby. Photo via NSW Police Robert Dickie with his prized car, a late model red Mustang Shelby. Photo via NSW Police](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/137578502/e47ec407-5ee5-4186-be5d-0aa0098f8ead.jpg/r43_68_717_488_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
At the time he determined the blood loss could be "well in excess of one litre".
"In some of the photos the blood has seeped through the carpet entirely, then through the underlay and then onto the floor," Dr Cala told the court.
Dr Cala argued the stains indicate "some cleaning and dilution of the blood" which he said made it difficult to determine blood volume.
Blood volume estimates 'inaccurate', defence argues
However, the defence raised doubts about Dr Cala's estimate of the blood volume.
Mr Nash pointed to a study which concluded visual estimates of blood loss by experienced medical professionals were "too inaccurate" to be used for clinical use.
He also suggested Dr Cala could have overestimated the amount of blood shed as a result of police investigators disclosing the fact the photographs were taken in relation to a murder investigation.
Under cross examination, Dr Cala conceded he is usually asked to estimate blood loss based on photos which include a body.
However, he said he provided evidence in the trial of Tamworth man Troy Ruttley, who was found guilty in 2017 of murdering his former partner, 41-year-old Johann Morgan, despite her body never being found.
The prosecution then called upon police crime scene examiner Sergeant Scott Gane to give evidence.
He said some of the stains which were uncovered in the bedroom were tested and determined to be human blood and a blue light investigation pointed to a "significant blood shed event".
"There was blood on numerous surfaces in the room ... I believe there was significant injury to cause blood staining on three of the four walls, on the bed and under the carpet," he told the court.
The trial of Ms So will resume at the Supreme Court in Dubbo on Wednesday, August 16 at 10am.
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