The Kempsey Local Court has heard that the length of the criminal proceedings against three people accused of being involved in the alleged murder of David Vale, has taken a "significant toll" on the victim's family.
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The family filled the court pews when the three accuseds' cases were mentioned before Magistrate Scott Nash on Wednesday, November 22.
Conrad Peter Lardner, 48, Leearna Nicole Davis, 32, and Veronica Leanne Holten, 29, did not appear when the matters were heard in court.
Lardner is accused of murdering 39-year-old David Vale in Kempsey just before midnight on March 1, 2023.
Emergency services were called to a South Kempsey premises and while paramedics treated Mr Vale, he died at the scene.
Officers from the Mid North Coast Police District established Strike Force Weigand to investigate his death.
Lardner was arrested on May 17 at a home in Airds, Sydney, where a number of items relevant to the investigation were also seized by police.
Leearna Nicole Davis, 32, and Veronica Leanne Holten, 29, were also arrested over the death of Mr Vale.
They are charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
Lardner, Davis and Holten were represented by their respective lawyers when the matter was heard before Magistrate Scott Nash on November 22.
The prosecutor in the case said he was instructed by the family to advise the court that the criminal proceedings have taken a "significant toll" on them.
The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was awaiting further crime scene evidence and the brief of evidence was unlikely to be served by the end of the year.
Magistrate Nash granted a three-month adjournment for the brief to be served.
The decision was met with outrage from Mr Vale's family, with some members shouting and storming out of the courtroom.
Lardner's case will return to Kempsey Local Court on February 21, 2024, for further mention (committal). A bail application was not applied for and it was formally refused.
Davis and Holten's cases will return to court on February 21, 2024, for charge certification. Their bail is to continue.
All three have been excused from appearing at the next court appearance.
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