Yelling heard from murder accused's van
A Queensland mechanic told a man he "gave someone a touch up" the night he is accused of murdering a couple, jurors have been told.
Mechanic Brandon MacGowan, 43, is on trial in the Supreme Court in Cairns for allegedly killing Scott Maitland and Cindy Masonwells, whose bodies were found in scrub near Cairns in 2012.
He denies the murder charges.
Prosecutors argue MacGowan picked them up in a white van from Cairns airport on July 5, 2012 - the last time the pair, aged in their 30s, were seen alive.
They had flown to Cairns from Mount Isa to collect a panel van MacGowan had agreed to restore for a fee of $14,000 some months earlier.
On Tuesday, the second day of the trial, Johnathon Woodcock told the court tyres screeching down an alleyway outside his property on the night of July 5, 2012, alerted him to a parked white van.
"I saw the left hand front door open and then I saw someone or something fall out or pushed out," Mr Woodcock told the court.
He said there was "a bit of yelling" which sounded like a woman's voice.
A man got out of the driver's door and as he walked towards Mr Woodcock he "told the person on the ground to shut up a few times".
The man introduced himself as "Brando" who Mr Woodcock identified as Brandon MacGowan.
He testified that MacGowan turned him around and guided him towards his property where he pushed him inside and told him to stay put.
Mr Woodcock said he could hear yelling "and carrying on" coming from the driveway for about five minutes before the van drove off.
Mr Woodcock said he and his stepfather later asked MacGowan if he'd "been up to some mischief".
"He replied back that he gave someone a touch up that night," Mr Woodcock said.
Defence lawyer Josh Trevino questioned Mr Woodcock over whether he was affected by alcohol after he admitted drinking eight beers in the hour before he saw the van.
"I wouldn't say I didn't know what I was doing... but I was affected by alcohol," he said.
Mr Trevino also questioned whether there was enough light and whether Mr Woodcock had enough time to confirm the man was MacGowan given the pair barely knew each other.
Mr Woodcock said it was "reasonably dark" but he was sure it was MacGowan.
Earlier on Tuesday, MacGowan's friend Daniel Curtis told the court the accused called him shortly after midnight on July 6, 2012, asking if he could stay at his hotel apartment in Cairns.
He said MacGowan sounded stern and that when he arrived he had streaks of blood on his trousers and jacket, and blood coming from a wound on his hand.
MacGowan said he'd been in a fight with a man, Mr Curtis said.
However, Mr Trevino said Mr Curtis made no mention of the blood when he was interviewed by police in July 2012.
Mr Curtis said he provided further information to authorities once he realised how serious the allegations against MacGowan were.
It's alleged Mr Maitland died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head and Ms Masonwells likely died from a single or multiple stab wounds.
During his opening address on Monday, crown prosecutor Todd Fuller told the court that MacGowan's failure to carry out $14,000 worth of restoration work on the couple's panel van was the reason for the killings.
The jury trial continues.
