Radio Brisvaani
Alex McEwan had become “withdrawn” and “different” in the months leading up to Korean student Eunji Ban’s killing, a court has heard in tearful testimony from his sister.
Emma McEwan broke down on the witness stand while insisting her 23-year-old brother was not a “horrible person”, as the court heard she believed he was “possessed” when he killed the 22-year-old.
Ms McEwan said she first started noticing differences when her brother was 16.
In the year before Ms Ban’s body was found in an inner-city Brisbane park on November 24, 2013, “it was worse”, she said.
“His temper was a lot shorter.
“I felt like when I did talk to him about something like meaningful I guess, it was harder to get through to him and his interactions, like, I noticed that he had more trouble articulating things than he used to.”
Defence barrister John Allen QC read the court a message he said Ms McEwan sent to her friend through Facebook the day after her brother was arrested.
According to Mr Allen, she told her friend he had been diagnosed with “serious mental health issues”.
“I spoke to him one last time before he got taken into custody and he couldn’t even look at his own family because he was so ashamed,” the message read, the court heard.
“He was not sober when it happened and he says he was possessed.
“I believe him and he has been showing signs of this ever since he was 16.”
Crown prosecutor David Meredith asked Ms McEwan whether a diagnosis of “serious mental health issues” was true at the time.
“I don’t know. I think, I was just trying to make people know that it wasn’t really him,” she said through tears.
“I don’t know anything. I just knew that he was … I didn’t want people to think he was a horrible person because he’s not.”
EARLIER
A Brisbane man accused of murdering Korean woman Eunji Ban is now suffering from schizophrenia, causing delays to his trial, a court has heard.
Before a short break on Thursday morning, Justice Jean Dalton told a Brisbane Supreme Court jury she anticipated psychiatrists would give evidence the “defendant now suffers from schizophrenia.”
Jurors were sent home early on Wednesday and Ms Dalton explained this was due to delays concerning Alex Reuben McEwan’s health.
Mr McEwan, 23, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Ban in the early hours of November 24, 2013, despite his legal team formally admitting he killed her.
Defence barrister John Allen QC indicated he planned to run a defence of insanity, pointing to statements the apprentice spray painter made to police that he had been troubled by a “devil” or “demon” his whole life.
It was alleged Mr McEwan had gone out that morning looking to kill someone, something he told police he had been waiting to do his whole life.
The jury has heard from several friends of the accused who were with him on the day before the killing and testified they did not notice anything unusual about his behaviour.
Jurors were shown shocking images of Ms Ban’s beaten body, found under a tree in Wickham Park, and played a chilling confession Mr McEwan made to police shortly after his arrest.
The trial was adjourned until 11.30am.
