The lawyer for a man charged with murdering Rae Portman has told a jury her killing was connected to the grubby underworld of drugs, but the accused was not.
The body of Ms Portman, who was pregnant, was found on a South Auckland farm in September 2012, three months after she went missing.
The Crown says the 33-year-old from Hamilton was kidnapped and murdered by Paraire Te Awa over a drugs deal worth $5000. He has pleaded not guilty.
Another man, Dean Addison, denies kidnapping and drugs charges.
In his closing address in the Auckland High Court on Monday, Mr Te Awa's lawyer Peter Kaye told jurors the background of this case is in what he described as "the horrible, filthy underbelly of the drugs world".
However, Mr Kaye said there is no evidence that Mr Awa was a drug dealer or runner and had continually denied the murder in police interviews.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence from Lee Rigby, who said he saw Paraire Te Awa strangle Rae Portman at a secluded location in Hamilton.
But Mr Kaye told jurors that his evidence is unreliable at best.
"Lights of both cars were off, it was a dark, secluded area, Much of that evidence was pure fiction - or if it wasn't that, it is evidence that is really so unreliable."
