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Stephen Thomas Hudson - Source: ONE News -
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The jury in the trial of Stephen Hudson should not convict him out of pity for the victim's family, says his defence lawyer Mike Antunovic.
He delivered his summing up in the High Court at Wellington on Tuesday, where Hudson, 39, stands accused of murdering Palmerston North man Nicholas Pike, 22.
Pike disappeared more than 7-1/2 years ago and his body has never been found.
The two men have been described during the month-long trial as good mates and fellow provincial drug dealers.
The Crown claims Hudson killed Pike over a drug debt on March 18, 2002 near the Desert Road in the Central North Island.
But the defence says Hudson was in Masterton at the time with members of his family.
Antunovic told the 11 jury members that the Crown had not proven the facts.
He asked the jury to think about the impact of a wrongful conviction.
That, he said, would "far worse" than feeling sorry for Pike's family because they still did not know where his body was.
Antunovic disputed the motive put forward by the Crown - that Hudson believed Pike was an informant, was jealous of his friendship with a woman they both knew and owed Hudson a considerable sum of money.
