A 38-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the murder of man from a small central west community.
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Warren man Clinton Beau Wrigley appeared via audiovisual link before the Supreme Court in Sydney on Friday, April 6 where he formally pleaded not guilty to the murder of 59-year-old Joel Carter.
The death of Mr Carter - remembered as "a true blue Aussie gentleman" - sent shockwaves through the tiny community of Miandetta and nearby Hermidale in 2023.
At around 7:45am on Wednesday, January 25, emergency services found Mr Carter's body on his property about 25 kilometres outside of Nyngan after they were called to perform a welfare check.
A post-mortem revealed Mr Carter died as a result of significant head trauma, most likely from heavy blows to the head.
His body may have been on the property for days before it was found.
Following extensive inquiries, homicide squad detectives arrested Wrigley during a vehicle stop on Garden Avenue, just outside Warren in Ravenswood, at 3:33pm on Tuesday, March 28.
Police allege Wrigley killed Mr Carter on January 23, 2023, before stealing his Toyota Hilux and driving away.
As well as the murder, Wrigley was charged with theft of the vehicle, the theft of a number of tools belonging to Mr Carter and for attempting to set the stolen vehicle on fire.
Wrigley is set to face trial before the Supreme Court in Dubbo on March 31, 2025.
