The mother of NRL star Nicho Hynes was in a sexual relationship with a pensioner who was in her home when a man inhaled so much heroin he died, a jury has heard.
Julie Hynes, 50, and Michael William Selvage, were both in her granny flat on the NSW Central Coast when 29-year-old Luke Murphy accidentally suffered a fatal overdose.
Mr Murphy had allegedly been using a hydraulic press to produce bricks of heroin and Hynes and Selvage have pleaded not guilty to knowingly taking part in drug supply.
The two co-accused are jointly facing trial in the District Court at Gosford where video footage of Selvage’s arrest was shown to a jury of seven women and five men on Wednesday.
Julie Hynes, 50, and Michael William Selvage, were both at her home on the NSW Central Coast when 29-year-old Luke Murphy accidentally inhaled heroin and died. A court heard on Wednesday that Hynes (above) was in a sexual relationship with Selvage
Hynes’s 26-year-old son Nicho (above) is the reigning Dally M medal winner and plays halfback for the Cronulla Sharks, having debuted in 2019 for Melbourne Storm
Senior Constable Brett Spencer activated his body-worn camera when he arrested Selvage at his mother’s Umina Beach home on May 27, 2021, two days after Mr Murphy died.
When Senior Constable Spencer told Selvage he was being charged with supplying heroin he said: ‘I didn’t supply anything’.
‘Did that other guy die?’ the jury heard Selvage ask. ‘I’ve been thinking what if they tried to kill me too?’
Selvage, who usually lived with his partner at Ettalong Beach, later volunteered: ‘I’ve been r**ting Julie’.
He said he had never used heroin and was not involved in the drug trade.
‘I only smoke pot,’ Selvage told Constable Spencer. ‘I’d use speed if it was still around.’
As he was taken from his mother’s house Selvage said: ‘See ya mum. I’ll be all right.’
When Michael Selvage (above) was arrested at his mother’s home he was recorded telling police, ‘I’ve been r**ting Julie’. He usually lived with his partner, who was not Hynes, at the time
Hynes’s 26-year-old son Nicho is the reigning Dally M medal winner and plays halfback for the Cronulla Sharks, having debuted in 2019 for Melbourne Storm.
Crime scene photographs show NRL memorabilia include a Storm poster and a picture of the Nicho on the walls of his mother’s home.
The court previously heard Julie Hynes had panicked when she found Mr Murphy unconscious in the loungeroom of her two-bedroom house at Blackwall on the afternoon of May 25.
The court heard that Hynes, a mother-of-two, had known Mr Murphy for about 20 years, since he was in primary school.
Hynes had called Triple Zero after finding Mr Murphy unresponsive on a couch but he was pronounced dead after paramedics arrived.
The Crown alleges Mr Murphy had earlier been pressing blocks of heroin in Hynes’s bathroom before inadvertently inhaling the drug through his nostrils and mouth.
Neither Hynes nor Selvage is accused of any offence in relation to the death of Mr Murphy.
The court heard Julie Hynes had panicked when she found Mr Murphy (above) unconscious in the loungeroom of her two-bedroom house at Blackwall on the afternoon of May 25
Crime scene photo shows a 250kg hydraulic press allegedly used to package heroin in Hynes’s bathroom at Blackwall
Crown Prosecutor Peter Lowe has told the jury that Hynes called Selvage at 2.26am on May 25 asking him to help Mr Murphy press heroin in the bathroom of her home.
He said phone records would show Mr Murphy had also contacted Selvage requesting he pick up mechanical parts for a hydraulic press he was using to package the heroin.
The Crown case is that Selvage and Hynes were involved in preparing the heroin for sale and that fingerprints from both were found on the 250kg press in her bathroom.
Before being pressed, the heroin was allegedly blended with glucose to half the purity and double its weight.
Mr Lowe said Mr Murphy manually operated the machine to compact the heroin after it was cut and had been covered in ‘dust’, which was also found on the floor.
As a result of that process, Mr Murphy had inhaled heroin and some of the drug might have been absorbed through his skin, Mr Lowe told jurors.
Mr Lowe said phone records would show Hynes made a series of calls from about 12.30pm, including to her oldest son Wade and another man who came to her home.
When the other man arrived Mr Murphy was slumped on a couch with his head tilted forward and was unconscious, the court heard.
Hynes allegedly told the man: ‘I don’t know what he’s had, he was on a bender.’
This crime scene photo shown to the court on Tuesday shows NRL memorabilia and photos of Julie Hynes’s NRL star son next to part of a hydraulic press allegedly used to package heroin
Mr Lowe said Hynes and the man rolled Mr Murphy off the couch and the man performed CPR while Hynes called Triple Zero at 1.19pm.
Paramedics arrived at 1.34pm and attempted to revive Mr Murphy but he was pronounced dead at 1.55pm.
Mr Murphy was not wearing a shirt and had white powder on his denim shorts.
When Selvage was being arrested he told Constable Spencer he had heard Mr Murphy ‘gurgling’ on the couch about 9am but was passed out when he died.
Constable Zachary Jones told the court he spoke to Hynes outside her home and she said Mr Murphy had arrived in a ‘dazed’ state between 7am and 7.30am.
Body-worn camera footage was played to the jury in which Hynes said, ‘I think he said, “I’ve been on a bender”.’
‘He was a little bit dazed,’ Hynes told Constable Jones. ‘He’d just been depressed lately too.’
‘He wanted to come in to stay. I said, “Absolutely”.’
Hynes said she bought Mr Murphy a ‘big breakfast’ from a local cafe then went back to bed about 9am or 10am while Mr Murphy was on the couch.
She woke about 12.50pm to find Mr Murphy still on the couch with his eyes part-closed. She called out, ‘Lukey, Lukey’ but got no response.
Police allegedly found 173.4 grams of heroin in a purple dustpan in a spare room, shown here in a crime scene photo. An extra 7.4g of the drug was allegedly located on the bathroom floor
Mr Murphy had dribble coming from his mouth and sounded as if he was snoring.
‘I woke up and seen him like that,’ Hynes told Constable Jones. ‘I just started panicking.’
Constable Jones said Hynes looked ‘tired and distressed’ during their discussion. While they spoke, a passing paramedic stopped and told her: ‘Sorry for your loss’.
The Crown alleges Hynes had been up all night while Mr Murphy packaged the drugs.
Police who attended the scene allegedly found the hydraulic press, as well as 180.8 grams of heroin: 173.4g in a purple dustpan in a spare room and 7.4g on the bathroom floor.
Mr Lowe said the Crown case was that Hynes’s residence was being used by Hynes, Selvage and Mr Murphy to cut and package bricks of heroin for sale.
‘The circumstances speak for themselves,’ he told the jury.
Other alleged drug paraphernalia including heat-seal bags and gaffer tape for wrapping bricks were also allegedly located at the house.
Julie Hynes, who has pleaded not guilty to one charge of knowingly taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug, is pictured with her son Nicho at last year’s Dally M Awards ceremony
Police found Selvage asleep in the main bedroom at 2.44pm, almost an hour after Mr Murphy was pronounced dead. Senior Constable Paul Corbett told the court he had to yell at Selvage to wake him up.
When Detective Sergeant Andrew Jeffrey told Selvage a crime scene had been established he allegedly replied, ‘A crime scene? Why? Is Luke all right?’
Detective Sergeant Jeffrey: ‘It appears as though Luke has passed away in the lounge room.’
Selvage, who allegedly had powder on his pants, told police he had arrived at the premises about 3am and had never met Mr Murphy before.
He allegedly said he initially did not know what Mr Murphy was doing with the press, which exerted 50 tonnes of pressure, but later learnt it related to heroin.
Selvage allegedly said Mr Murphy had 11 ‘keys’ of the drug, each weighing about 360 grams. None of those bricks has ever been found.
‘I’m talking about bricks about that big,’ Selvage told Constable Spencer in the video played to the jury, holding his hands about 25cm apart.
Selvage told Constable Spencer he had no involvement in pressing or packaging the drug and had only gone to Hynes’s house to help her.
‘I help people,’ he said. ‘It’ doesn’t matter what time it is.’
His barrister, Jacob Tate, said it would be disputed that Selvage had known the purpose of the mechanical parts for the press he had supplied to Mr Murphy.
The dead man’s grey Holden Captiva was found at Ettalong Beach. It was unlocked and the keys were in the ignition.
The trial before Judge David Wilson continues.
Michael William Selvage, 59, who was also in the house when Mr Murphy overdosed, has pleaded not guilty to knowingly taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug. Selvage is pictured on Tuesday
