An elderly woman allegedly murdered by members of her family nearly four years ago was a "strange, strange person" who was not very smart, a jury has heard.
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Authorities were called to the family home after reports 82-year-old Katherine Panin had fallen down the stairs and died, but police later launched a murder investigation.
Archibald Prize finalist Melissa Beowulf, 61, and her sons Thorsten, 32, and Bjorn, 31, are on trial in the ACT Supreme Court accused of murdering the woman who was Mrs Beowulf's mother-in-law.
Prosecutors contend the woman was struck and either left to die or smothered before her body was arranged on the bottom of the stairs.
Mrs Panin and her late husband had over time grown distant from their son, who had changed his name to Thorhammer Beowulf, the court has heard.
Mr Beowulf lived an unconventional lifestyle, in which he and Mrs Beowulf and their four sons, as well as Thor’s partner Dianne McGowan and her son, shared a home.
On Wednesday, Niels Beowulf-McGowan was called to the stand.
He said when he took Mrs Panin to the hospital in September that year she told him that she was going to split her will between the seven members of her family - the two women and five sons.
Mrs Panin died on October 12, 2015, the day she was supposed to move into a new retirement unit.
It is also the day the Crown contends she made plans to change her will, having already altered and restricted the power of attorney Mrs Beowulf had over her affairs since Mr Beowulf had died.
Mr Beowulf-McGowan said he arrived to the family's Red Hill home that day to see Mrs Beowulf distraught, more so than when her husband had died that year.
He went inside and saw a patch of vomit in the hallway, then found his brother Thorsten, who was in the ensuite of the main bedroom.
Through the bathroom door Mr Beowulf-McGowan spoke to Thorsten, who said he felt really sick and was vomiting a lot.
Mr Beowulf-McGowan said he put down towels over the patch of vomit likened to mostly liquid "mashed-up porridge".
He said the rug that was in the hallway the last time he was at the home was not there.
Mr Beowulf-McGowan said he later heard one loud vomit sound from the bathroom while outside the home on the front steps.
The group, except for Thorsten, went for dinner that night once the authorities had left.
He told the jury Mrs Beowulf told him how they had gone out for coffee or a meal and when they came home found Mrs Panin dead.
Earlier, he told the court more about the relationship between Mrs Beowulf and Mrs Panin.
He said Mrs Beowulf once scolded Mrs Panin after she came home with milk, telling her, "What are you doing you cow? We’ve got milk here, you need to stop wasting money".
The court heard how Mrs Panin didn’t acknowledge him as her grandchild before he was about 12 or 13.
Under cross examination by defence barrister Ken Archer, Mr Beowulf-McGowan said he had been told that was because it would make her feel old.
Mr Beowulf-McGowan told police Mrs Panin was a "strange, strange person" who was not very smart.
He told police she had a "dementia sort of thing", and told the court on Wednesday she was forgetful.
He also said Mrs Beowulf had told him Mrs Panin would deliberately niggle her.
The trial continues.