11 Oct 2010

Wife tells court of murder accused's 'admission'

9:19 pm on 11 October 2010

The wife of a man accused of murdering a New Zealand-born nurse has told a court he admitted slashing her throat.

Michelle Beets was found stabbed to death at her Sydney home in April.

Walter Marsh, an American who worked for her at Royal North Shore Hospital, is charged with her murder.

His Vietnamese wife, who cannot be named, told the court that on the night Ms Beets died her husband told her "it is done".

She asked what he meant and he said, "she'll be gone forever, she is dead".

The wife told the court he slept with his knife and practised stabbing techniques.

She was testifying against him on the first day of a committal hearing.

She told the court her husband hated Ms Beets and called her a bully.

The woman said Marsh went to Ms Beets' house five times before the murder.

The court heard that the defendant, who worked for the victim, believed Ms Beets was giving him bad job references.