Financial planner faces Qld murder trial

A Brisbane financial planner accused of murdering a spiritual counsellor who was his client had lost focus in the weeks leading up to the alleged attack, a court has heard.

Murder accused Trung Ma faced a committal hearing in Brisbane on Wednesday charged with murdering 63-year-old Hugo Bonham on February 3, 2014, and interfering with his corpse.

It's alleged the spiritual adviser was clubbed to death with a hammer after an argument and his body put in a toolbox and hidden in a rented storage shed.

The court heard that in the lead-up to Ma's arrest, staff at his office were concerned he had lost focus on the business.

Former business partner Adrian Geoff Orr testified he had put the concerns about Ma down to family stress.

Under cross-examination, Mr Orr said his concerns eased after the Christmas break.

It was about the time doctors told Ma and his partner they would be able to have a second child.

"In my view things improved, the observations that he wasn't focusing on the business stopped," Mr Orr said.

However Ma didn't show up to work on February 3, the day Mr Bonham vanished.

Mr Orr tried to contact him by phone, text and email but, in highly unusual behaviour for Ma, didn't get a response until that night.

Sitting in the dock Ma wiped tears from his eyes as his former business partner described how the pair had grown close over a six-year working relationship.

The business wasn't making a profit and Ma hadn't drawn a salary for 18 months but had taken out a loan.

Defence lawyer Michael Bosscher suggested the men were so close Mr Orr would be able to pick if Ma was having a bad day.

"I thought so," the witness replied.

Magistrate Paul Kluck committed Ma to trial in the Supreme Court at a date to be set.

Ma did not enter a plea.