A 28-year-old man from Western Downs, Dale Joram Edward Hamilton, stands accused of murdering Jonathan Clarence Martin, aged 44, during a neighbourhood dispute on March 21, 2023. The incident occurred at a residence on Hawkins Street in Miles, located west of Brisbane. The ongoing trial at the Toowoomba Supreme Court has revealed that Mr. Hamilton provided differing accounts of the events surrounding Mr. Martin’s death.
During the first day of the trial, Crown prosecutor David Finch outlined the circumstances leading to the altercation. The conflict reportedly began when Mr. Hamilton damaged Mr. Martin’s vehicle and allegedly harassed his dog. On the night of the incident, Mr. Martin arrived at Mr. Hamilton’s home, accompanied by a second individual, Gary Mitchell, while armed with a tomahawk.
The jury was presented with police body-worn footage that captured Mr. Hamilton’s statements to law enforcement following the incident. He claimed that he had been warned about the approach of two men and went outside with his dog to confront them. According to Mr. Hamilton, his dog attacked Mr. Martin after he was knocked to the ground during the confrontation. “There were two of them there trying to hit me,” he stated in the footage. “I was on the ground and my dog ran up and grabbed hold of him.”
Initial investigations led police to believe that Mr. Martin had succumbed to injuries sustained from the dog attack. However, Detective Acting Sergeant Amy Wolski informed the court that their focus shifted drastically after she discovered an alleged stab wound on Mr. Martin’s chest. “After seeing the wound on his chest, the matter now became trying to investigate how it was sustained,” she testified. When asked by Mr. Finch if the investigation had ruled out the possibility of a dog bite being the cause of death, Detective Wolski confirmed, “Yes, that is correct.”
The jury also viewed a police interview with Mr. Hamilton conducted on March 25, 2023. In this recording, he stated that he had been at home playing video games when three men began banging on his back door. He described pushing through the men in an attempt to escape when one of the doors opened. “I just wanted to get away,” he said during the interview. Mr. Hamilton expressed surprise when informed that Mr. Martin had suffered a stab wound, claiming he did not know how it had occurred. He suggested that blood found on a knife at his home likely belonged to him, as he frequently took it to work at a local sawmill.
As the trial progressed, defence barrister David Jones presented several points of contention to the jury. He questioned whether the tomahawk was the only weapon carried by Mr. Martin and Mr. Mitchell, asking, “Who had the tomahawk? Then who were the aggressors?” Mr. Jones also raised concerns about the nature of Mr. Martin’s injuries, questioning if a knife was indeed the instrument of harm and where it might be located.
Detective Acting Sergeant Wolski is scheduled to return to the stand as the trial continues. Mr. Hamilton has had his bail extended until a verdict is reached. The proceedings continue to unfold as the jury examines the evidence presented, including the conflicting accounts of the incident.
