A farm worker accused of murdering a 66-year-old man by amputating his leg with a circular saw allegedly carried out the procedure for $5000 cash, a jury has been told.
John Yalu, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murder over the death of Innisfail man Kalman Tal in February 2022, but admitted to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Jurors in the Supreme Court in Cairns on Tuesday were shown confronting CCTV footage prosecutors say captured the moment Yalu used a battery-powered saw to amputate Tal’s left leg above the ankle in a riverside park.
The footage, compiled by Detective Senior Constable Lachlan Ogilvie during the investigation, allegedly showed Tal hopping before collapsing and crawling back towards his car while “bleeding profusely”.
The court heard Yalu then followed behind and helped Tal into the passenger seat before walking away.
Kalman Tal, 66, allegedly sought help removing his leg after suffering years of chronic pain, the jury heard.
Emergency crews and forensic investigators examined the riverside crime scene where prosecutors allege the amputation took place.
About 4.30am, Tal was found unconscious in a gutter beside his vehicle near an Innisfail fish and chip shop after handing a mobile phone already connected to triple-0 to a passer-by.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and attempted CPR and applied a tourniquet, but Tal died from blood loss caused by the amputation, the jury heard.
Opening the Crown case, prosecutor Nicole Friedewald alleged Tal had suffered severe leg pain for years and offered Yalu $5000 to amputate the limb after doctors refused to perform the procedure.
The prosecution alleged Yalu later admitted to police he became frightened after Tal started losing large amounts of blood.
“I thought he was dying so I got really scared and left,” the court heard Yalu allegedly say in his police interview.
Yalu also allegedly told investigators he considered calling triple-0 but “didn’t have the number” saved in his phone.
The jury heard Yalu allegedly told police he believed Tal “was just going to die” because he was losing so much blood.
Police allegedly found a bloodstained envelope labelled “Kalman” containing $5000 cash during a search of the house where Yalu had been staying.
Justice James Henry warned jurors they would likely be shown graphic evidence during the trial, including footage of the “actual act of the leg being chopped off”.
The prosecution said the key issue for the jury would be whether Yalu intended to cause grievous bodily harm when he amputated Tal’s leg.
The trial is expected to continue into next week.
