Teen’s row with accused

ACCUSED murderer Ryan Howes allegedly waved a knife and tried to climb inside the car Michael Brack got out of moments before the 16-yearold was stabbed in the neck, a Gold Coast court has heard.

During the second day of a committal hearing for Howes in the Southport Magistrates Court, witnesses told how a “scruffy” drunken man turned up to meet Mr Brack and his mate Reece Rowe at a Sorrento shopping centre on the evening of November 14, 2015 to buy drugs.

Mr Rowe’s partner Reality Marschke told the court the person who murdered Mr Brack tried to jump in the car after Mr Rowe and Mr Brack refused to drive him to a property to get money to pay for the cannabis.

She said the group told them the car was full as she was inside with her young daughter and the driver of the car.

“The guy’s upper body was in the car,” Ms Marschke told the court.

The mother-of-two said she told the driver to drive away when the man tried to get into the car before Mr Rowe and Mr Brack ran away.

Ms Marschke told the court she saw Howes with a knife behind his back, which was similar to a steak knife.

The court heard Howes allegedly said “Don’t you (expletive) trust me” to Mr Brack and Mr Rowe when they told him they could not drive elsewhere.

The driver of the car also gave evidence yesterday, telling the court Howes had slurred speech when he arrived at the carpark.

He said he saw the man perform “stabbing actions” with the knife prior to Mr Brack being killed but did not see any actual physical “contact”.

Throughout the committal hearing, the court heard Mr Brack and Mr Rowe both owned replica guns.

Ms Marschke said Mr Rowe used to take his replica handgun everywhere he went because he didn’t trust his housemates with it.

Earlier in the week, the court was told Mr Brack disposed of something, which was believed to have been the gun, in the water at Paradise Point just before he was murdered.

On Thursday a friend of Mr Brack’s, Michael Brida, told the court he saw a gun at Mr Brack’s home and knew he paid $300 for it “way before his death”. He said the people hanging around with Mr Brack were “wild”.

Howes was charged with Mr Brack’s death in late 2015 after the teen died from a stab wound to the neck. He was yesterday ordered to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court over Mr Brack’s death.