Murder trial

A man who died a violent death on a boat in Nelson was embroiled in a feud with the man accused of his murder, a court has heard. John Murray ‘‘Muzza’’ Morton, 55, was found dead on a boat moored in the Nelson Haven, near State Highway 6, on August 4, 2016. The man charged with his murder, Martin Grant Price, is on trial in the High Court in Nelson. Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber said a post-mortem revealed Morton had seven stab wounds through his chest, neck, thigh and wrist. He also had blunt force injuries to his head which resulted in hemorrhaging into his brain. Webber said both men claimed the other owed him money and they often communicated via text message.