Michael O'Connell found guilty of murder by ACT Supreme Court jury

Michael O'Connell, 43, shook his head after a juror said: "Yes, guilty".

An ACT Supreme Court jury returned its verdict on Thursday after eight days of evidence and almost three days of deliberations.

The case surrounded an April 15, 2022, incident which resulted in Melba woman Danielle Jordan falling from O'Connell's Mitsubishi Triton and fatally hitting her head on the road.

The circumstances of her fall were heavily debated, with two versions presented to jurors.

The prosecution claimed O'Connell drove "at speed" while knowing the woman was on his car bonnet with the "objective" of dislodging her before she fell.

The defence put forward the case that Ms Jordan was, in fact, on the back of the ute, unbeknownst to O'Connell, and that he only noticed this using a sideview mirror after having driven off.

He said he then slowed down, she fell and he stopped.

Both sides agreed Ms Jordan was then seen lying at the rear, right side of the vehicle before she was picked up by O'Connell and placed in the passenger side.

She was driven to hospital and died two days later.

That was the third and final version of events given by O'Connell.

Defence barrister Jon White SC previously told jurors his client had made up "silly lies" because "he didn't want to make [Ms Jordan] out to be a psycho".

He first told hospital staff the deceased woman fell down her back stairs and he then informed police she had caught up to the stationary car, jumped on and fallen off.

In order to return a guilty verdict, the jury had to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Jordan was on the bonnet of the car before she fell and that O'Connell knew where she was positioned.

Key evidence came from the case's only eye witness, a 13-year-old girl staying the night at the deceased woman's apartment on the night in question.

It's this witness who told police the pair, who jurors heard were in a "turbulent" and "on-again-off-again" relationship, had been fighting prior to the incident and that Ms Jordan was attempting to stop O'Connell from leaving her apartment.

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The teenager also described the man as "schizing" it, or acting angrily before the incident.

She testified seeing Ms Jordan, her friend, on the bonnet of the car when O'Connell drove away, which anchored much of the prosecution case.

Prosecutor Mike Smith said the teenager was "articulate, switched on", consistent and that her account lined up with presented evidence.

Mr White cast doubt on the young witness' reliability due to her age, the trauma of the situation, effects smoking cannabis on the night may have had and due to certain admitted errors in her evidence.

The opposing parties also disagreed in closing addresses about O'Connell's demeanour after he exited the car, when he told the 13-year-old girl he was "sorry" and "she just fell off, I don't know what happened".

The defence barrister said his client's shock and anger, the tone of which could be heard on CCTV, turned to "not just concern but despair" after realising what had happened.

The prosecutor said the man's anger turned to "panic and then regret" when the "reality of what he has done begins to dawn on him".

Evidence presented throughout the trial included obstructed CCTV footage, droplets of Ms Jordan's blood on the bonnet that remain unexplained and the woman's fingerprints and glitter consistent with her clothing around the ute's back tray.

An expert witness also told the court O'Connell had been driving just over 50kmh before he stopped but Mr White said nothing suggested O'Connell had swerved, driven erratically or braked to dislodge the woman.

The jury delivered its verdict in the early afternoon on Thursday before being excused one final time.

O'Connell shook his head and muttered to himself as he returned into court cells, without speaking with his legal counsel.

The offender's lone supporter was seen crying as the courtroom emptied.

O'Connell is set to return to court on Thursday next week for a sentencing date to be allocated.

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