Judge retires in SA cold-case murder trial

A judge has retired to consider his verdict in the trial of a man accused of murdering a teenager in outback South Australia.

Nikola Novakovich, 43, has pleaded not guilty to killing 16-year-old Karen Williams at Coober Pedy in 1990.

The girl's body has never been found but Novakovich was charged in November 2013 following a renewed investigation that included the excavation of several disused opal mines.

Supreme Court Justice Tim Stanley, who has been sitting without a jury, heard final submissions on Friday and will now consider his verdict.