The man accused of murdering Sydney nurse manager Michelle Beets told his wife that he "had permission" to kill from "an organisation" a court heard today.
A former US Marine, Walter Ciaran Marsh, 50, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Beets almost three months after she decided not to renew his contract at the emergency department of Royal North Shore Hospital.
The Crown alleges Mr Marsh slit her throat and stabbed her eight times in the chest as he believed her "bad references" were preventing him from gaining another job.
Giving evidence in the Supreme Court today, Mr Marsh's wife, Samantha Marsh, said that her husband had told her on a number of occasions that he "had permission to kill a person" from an unnamed organisation in Ireland.
"He said if there was anyone he didn't like or anyone who he wanted to remove I would have to ask their [the organisation's] permission before doing it," Mrs Marsh said.
"Prior to the death ... it happened about three times that he said that he got permission from the organisation to kill a particular person.
"I told him not to do anything like that; it's stupid."
Mrs Marsh said that, because her husband was born in Ireland, she believed that the organisation existed.
She said she told her husband he should ask for the organisation's help with the problem.
Mrs Marsh also told the court that on one occasion he had demonstrated a throat-cutting technique on her.
He also repeatedly practised the action of opening and closing a flick knife, and of making a cutting motion in the air in front of his own throat.
Mr Marsh had made a number of trips to Ms Beets's house before the alleged murder and had called her house from public phones in order to "find our what her routines were".
AAP reports: Mrs Marsh met Mr Marsh in Vietnam in 2007 and married him in Australia in October 2008.
Giving evidence via CCTV today, Mrs Marsh said her husband was on a 457 working visa in Australia and she was listed as his dependent.
He began working as a nurse at the hospital in February 2009, but his 12-month contract was not renewed and he began looking for other nursing jobs to enable him to get permanent residency.
During his first two or three months in the job, he said he did not like Ms Beets and called her a "bitch".
Mrs Marsh said her husband was unsuccessful in finding a new job and a recruitment agency told him he failed to get work because he had a bad reference from Royal North Shore Hospital.
Despite Ms Beets's name not being on his resume, she said her husband believed Ms Beets was giving him a bad reference and said "she needed to go".
About a month before Ms Beets was killed, Mrs Marsh said he told her: "Finally I got permission from the organisation in Ireland to kill Michelle Beets."
"He kept telling me he was part of the organisation in Ireland because he was born in Belfast," she said.
Mrs Marsh said on at least three occasions before Ms Beets died, her husband told her "he got permission from the organisation to kill a certain person".
"I told him, don't do anything like that; it is stupid.
"You should ask the organisation to stop whatever they have agreed you to do because I don't think it is necessary," she said.
The trial is continuing before Justice Derek Price.
A former US Marine, Walter Ciaran Marsh, 50, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Beets almost three months after she decided not to renew his contract at the emergency department of Royal North Shore Hospital.
The Crown alleges Mr Marsh slit her throat and stabbed her eight times in the chest as he believed her "bad references" were preventing him from gaining another job.
Giving evidence in the Supreme Court today, Mr Marsh's wife, Samantha Marsh, said that her husband had told her on a number of occasions that he "had permission to kill a person" from an unnamed organisation in Ireland.
"He said if there was anyone he didn't like or anyone who he wanted to remove I would have to ask their [the organisation's] permission before doing it," Mrs Marsh said.
"Prior to the death ... it happened about three times that he said that he got permission from the organisation to kill a particular person.
"I told him not to do anything like that; it's stupid."
Mrs Marsh said that, because her husband was born in Ireland, she believed that the organisation existed.
She said she told her husband he should ask for the organisation's help with the problem.
Mrs Marsh also told the court that on one occasion he had demonstrated a throat-cutting technique on her.
He also repeatedly practised the action of opening and closing a flick knife, and of making a cutting motion in the air in front of his own throat.
Mr Marsh had made a number of trips to Ms Beets's house before the alleged murder and had called her house from public phones in order to "find our what her routines were".
AAP reports: Mrs Marsh met Mr Marsh in Vietnam in 2007 and married him in Australia in October 2008.
Giving evidence via CCTV today, Mrs Marsh said her husband was on a 457 working visa in Australia and she was listed as his dependent.
He began working as a nurse at the hospital in February 2009, but his 12-month contract was not renewed and he began looking for other nursing jobs to enable him to get permanent residency.
During his first two or three months in the job, he said he did not like Ms Beets and called her a "bitch".
Mrs Marsh said her husband was unsuccessful in finding a new job and a recruitment agency told him he failed to get work because he had a bad reference from Royal North Shore Hospital.
Despite Ms Beets's name not being on his resume, she said her husband believed Ms Beets was giving him a bad reference and said "she needed to go".
About a month before Ms Beets was killed, Mrs Marsh said he told her: "Finally I got permission from the organisation in Ireland to kill Michelle Beets."
"He kept telling me he was part of the organisation in Ireland because he was born in Belfast," she said.
Mrs Marsh said on at least three occasions before Ms Beets died, her husband told her "he got permission from the organisation to kill a certain person".
"I told him, don't do anything like that; it is stupid.
"You should ask the organisation to stop whatever they have agreed you to do because I don't think it is necessary," she said.
The trial is continuing before Justice Derek Price.
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