Trial begins for man accused of murdering 17-year-old Michelle Bright after birthday party in 1999
Two vulnerable teenage women were attacked late at night in central west New South Wales and one of them murdered by a man who violently acted on his sexual urges, jurors have heard.
Craig Henry Rumsby is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court accused of murdering 17-year-old Michelle Bright after she left a friend's 15th birthday party in Gulgong in the early hours of February 27, 1999.
Bright's body was found three days later hidden in long grass by the side of Barneys Reef Road.
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A trail has begun for Michelle Bright who's body was found in the NSW town of Gulgong in 1999. Supplied
Her blouse had been pushed up, the clasps of her bra ripped off, and her jeans and underwear were around her ankles.
An autopsy of her body, which had grazes on the abdomen, thighs and knuckles, could not confirm the cause of death, with a report saying Bright was killed by "homicidal violence of an undetermined aetiology".
Rumsby has also been accused of choking another female victim who was then 18 years old with the intent of raping her after she left a New Year's Eve party on January 1, 1998.
He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
At Dubbo Courthouse on Wednesday, crown prosecutor Lee Carr SC said Rumsby had made an alleged confession to police in which he claimed he wanted to have "a crack" at raping the 18-year-old woman after she emerged from her home alone.
"He stated he wanted to try and f--- her. He said she was 18 and had a good body," Carr said.
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Craig Rumsby is on trial for the murder of Michelle Bright in 1999. 9News
Rumsby is also alleged to have said he hit Bright after hearing her footsteps behind him.
He said he covered her mouth with his hands for 10 minutes until she stopped breathing.
"He decide to kill her because he didn't want to get pinned for it," the prosecutor said.
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Carr argued there were "significant similarities" between the two attacks on young women who were grabbed by the throat while they were alone in the dark.
"The Crown says that he had a sexual interest in females of late teens and a tendency to act on that by committing sexually motivated violence.
Michelle Bright's body was found after she left a 15th birthday party. Supplied
"It would be extraordinary if by coincidence there were different perpetrators."
NSW police had interviewed Rumsby regarding both the alleged murder and rape since 1999 but only made their arrest after the unsolved homicide team reopened the cold case in 2019.
In August 2020, police publicly announced a $1 million reward for anyone who had information about the murder.
Rumsby commented on a post about the announcement put on the NSW Police Force's Facebook page.
"It's so sad they haven't caught her killer yet. Michelle was like a sister to me. I feel sorry for her," he wrote.
Jurors heard Rumsby offered a DNA sample to police in their investigation but that no scientific evidence had been produced linking him to either alleged crime.
The trial continues on Thursday.
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