A man accused of driving Kelly Wilkinson’s convicted killer to her Queensland home will stand trial for murder after allegedly learning of her ex-husband’s brutal plan.
Bradley Bell has been charged with the murder of the Gold Coast mother three months after her ex-husband Brian Earl Johnston killed her on April 20, 2021.
Johnston has since been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to Ms Wilkinson’s murder.
Kelly Wilkinson was murdered by her ex-husband Brian Earl Johnston in 2021
Queensland police charged Bradley Bell with murder months after Ms Wilkinson’s death.
The former US Marine doused the mother of his children with gasoline and set her on fire when he ambushed her in the back of her house.
On Thursday, Mr Bell’s matter was mentioned in the Brisbane Supreme Court.
His defense lawyer, Edwin Whitton, told the court he was trying to have the original July trial date removed from the list so that his client could undergo psychiatric testing in June.
The court was told Bell had raised concerns to his legal team “retrospectively” about whether his police interviews would be admissible in court.
Whitton said he could not “say for sure” whether the psychiatric report would “call into question” these police interviews before the trial.
Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy told the court he was ready to proceed to trial with the police interviews, which are expected to be used as part of the prosecution’s evidence.
Brian Johnston has been sentenced for the murder of Kelly Wilkinson
McCarthy said Bell had allegedly told police during the series of interviews that he had “prior knowledge” about what Johnston intended to do when he arrived at Wilkinson’s home.
“He (allegedly) admitted to taking Mr Johnston to the house, being (allegedly) told by Mr Johnston that he intended to kill his wife and was captured on CCTV, where he (allegedly) admits that he filled out the metal container with gasoline after that information,” Mr. McCarthy said.
Under Queensland law, a person can be found guilty of murder for having knowledge of the alleged circumstances leading to their death.
Judge Peter Callaghan set the new trial date for July 29 and ordered the defense application to be heard on July 8.
Bell has not yet entered a plea.
