The Crown has alleged that a Christchurch man accused of murdering his sister confessed to friends that he killed her.
Denis Kenny Billesdon, 72, is on trial in the High Court at Christchurch for the murder of 77-year-old Nola Doreen Billesdon in 2001. He is said to have smothered her with a pillow.
The death was initially considered to be from natural causes when a postmortem found that the deceased had died of chronic congestive heart failure.
But several years later, the Crown says, Mr Billesdon began to confess to friends that he had murdered his sister.
Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, Colin Slater said that Mr Billesdon had told him he had smothered his sister with a pillow because he couldn't stand to see her suffer.
Mr Slater said he had urged his friend to go to the police if this was true.
The Crown also alleges that the defendant told a friend that, shortly before his sister's death, he had taken her to a solicitor where she changed her will to make him the sole beneficiary.
Mr Billesdon has pleaded not guilty.
