Another man confessed to rape, murder of teen on his death bed, court hears
By court reporter James Hancock
Posted about 2 hours ago
PHOTO: Corrina Stuart said another man, who is now dead, confessed to murdering and raping Karen Williams. (ABC News: James Hancock)
RELATED STORY: Karen Williams killed after witnessing robbery, Adelaide court told
MAP: Coober Pedy 5723
A man who is now dead confessed to raping, strangling, burning and burying Coober Pedy teenager Karen Williams, the Supreme Court in Adelaide has heard.
Nikola Novakovich is on trial, accused of murdering the 16-year-old in 1990.
Her body has never been found despite extensive searches around the opal-mining outback town.
Witness Corrina Stuart told the court that another man had confessed to murdering Ms Williams.
Ms Stuart said Peter Woodforde, or "Woomie" as he was known, made the admission while she was caring for him just days before his death.
"He said he killed her ... he had a hole in his throat and when he talked it would come out like a whisper," she said.
"He said he knocked her down, he knocked her out and he was raping her and she woke up while he was raping her and he strangled her.
"She was trying to hit him in the face."
Ms Stuart said Woodforde told her he then buried Ms Williams' body under a tree.
Karen Williams was last seen alive in the late 1990s. Her body has never been found.
"He took her body in his car towards one tree on its own ... on the Oodnadatta track," she said.
"He said he did it by himself ... he burnt and buried her somewhere out that way on the Oodnadatta track."
She said Woodforde, a chronic alcoholic, was sober at the time of the confession.
Ms Stuart said the murder happened after Ms Williams was dropped off at a house in the "Woomera houses area" of Coober Pedy.
He said he did it by himself ... he burnt and buried her somewhere out that way on the Oodnadatta track.
Corrina Stuart, trial witness.
But Novakovich's defence lawyer, Marie Shaw, challenged Ms Stuart's evidence.
Ms Shaw said only last week the witness told police Woodforde did not commit the crime alone.
"You told him [the police officer] that there was six involved?" Ms Shaw said, to which Ms Stuart agreed.
"And that a number of men raped her? Ms Shaw said.
"Yes," the witness replied.
"And Peter had told you that only three had been involved in burying her?" Ms Shaw asked and the witness again said "yes".
The prosecution's key witness, Aleksander Radosavljevic, is also giving evidence today.
The court previously heard Mr Novakovich told Mr Radosavljevic that he killed Ms Williams because she had witnessed a robbery.