A man accused of killing his neighbour following a series of disputes more than a decade ago has been found not guilty by a New South Wales Supreme Court judge.
Bruce Anthony Coss was accused of murdering Darren Royce Willis in Bingara, north-west New South Wales, after Mr Willis went missing during December 2010.
The judge-only trial began in Moree during May 2022 but was put on hold when a skull fragment was discovered near where Mr Willis had disappeared.
DNA testing ultimately found the fragments belonged to Mr Willis, but his body was never found.
In handing down his judgement in Sydney today, Justice Hament Dhanji acknowledged the neighbours had a "sometimes difficult relationship", with reports they would often argue in town, including one argument over sheep.
Justice Dhanji revisited evidence given by Mr Coss's friend Robert James Stonestreet, who earlier told the court he saw the accused hitting Mr Willis with a baseball bat with a radiator clamp around it.
The court had also heard in an earlier police interview with Mr Stonestreet that he saw Mr Coss beat Mr Willis between the head and shoulders.
"He just went down like a bag of s**t. I was pretty sure he was dead," Mr Stonestreet was heard saying.
But the judge told the court he had "grave concerns" over the reliability of Mr Stonestreet's evidence.
He said there were significant inconsistencies in the evidence given by Mr Stonestreet and another friend, as their retelling of events evolved several times over the course of proceedings and police interviews.
Willis could get 'into trouble'
Justice Dhanji also said there were various theories about what could have led to Mr Willis's death, including possible involvement with bikie gangs or a drunken drowning.
"It was clear that Mr Willis' lifestyle was such that it could sometimes get him into trouble," he said.
The judge also accepted evidence that Mr Coss had injured his collarbone in a workplace accident during 2008 and would have had trouble disposing of the body on his own.
In a phone conversation recorded with another witness, Scott Marle, Mr Coss said he would not have been able to do it.
"How the f**k can I get rid of one man by myself?" Mr Coss said.
"As far as I know the c**t's still alive, f*****g hiding somewhere."
Mr Coss, who has been on bail since his arrest in 2019, was discharged and free to go.
