Gavin Parnell, accused of murdering Whitsunday man Jay Brogden, falls ill during court testimony

A north Queensland man on trial for the alleged murder of Jay Brogden has fallen ill in the witness box as he testified about the gory aftermath of the shooting.

Gavin Parnell, 35, was arrested in 2019 after being accused of killing 21-year-old Mr Brogden, who disappeared from Airlie Beach in 2007.

His body has never been found and Mr Parnell has pleaded not guilty to his murder

Mr Parnell today took the stand in front of a Supreme Court jury under Justice David North for the first time in Mackay and testified he was being held at gunpoint himself when he shot his friend.  

Giving evidence via defence lawyer Damian Walsh, he told the court Mr Brogden was crying in the lead up to the gun-firing. 

He said they had been friends for about a year when Mr Brogden told him he was having financial difficulties.

Mr Parnell told the court that he dealt drugs and, to help Mr Brogden, decided to “vouch” for his credibility to the man he sold drugs for.

An alleged theft

In an interview with police in 2019 — played in court — Mr Parnell said the third man would get his drugs from the Outlaw motorcycle gang.

He referred to the third man as the Airlie Beach “drug kingpin”.

Police put up a billboard featuring Jay Brogden in 2019.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)

“[The third man] sold amphetamines, pot, ecstasy, pills,” Mr Parnell told the jury.

“Something [was] stolen, meth, from his house.”

The court heard Mr Parnell asked Mr Brogden about the alleged theft, which he denied.

Mr Parnell said about four days later, the third man suggested they go fishing in his boat.

He recalled leaving from Shute Harbour and stopping near White Rock.

Mr Parnell told the court after a while the third man began “yelling and screaming”, telling Mr Brogden “you f***ed up, you owe me”.

“I felt a barrel on my back,” Mr Parnell said.

'Jay was crying'

Mr Parnell said the third man gave him a second gun, a sawed-off shotgun, taped together with duct tape.

The murder trial for Jay Brogden is underway 15 years after his disappearance.(Supplied)

“[The third man] was yelling at me, 'Do it, do it, do it',” Mr Parnell told the court.

“He was threatening my family.

“I was petrified. I urinated myself. I was shaking profusely.

“Jay was crying.”

Mr Parnell told the court the gun “went off” and Mr Brogden was shot in the back right side of his head.

He began to cry as he told the court about “being made” to put Mr Brogden's body into the water.

Murder accused falls ill

During his retelling, Mr Parnell began to vomit in the witness dock as he recalled washing blood from the back of the boat.

The court was adjourned as Mr Parnell recomposed himself.

While giving evidence, Mr Parnell said he was adamant he did not know what was going to transpire on the fishing trip.

But during cross-examination, crown prosecutor Nathan Crane said to Mr Parnell that he knew they were going out in the boat to discuss the “substantial” amount of missing drugs.

Mr Crane said Mr Parnell had previously talked about a discussion he had with the third man about taking Mr Brogden somewhere “calm and peaceful” to talk about the alleged stolen methamphetamine.

Mr Crane will continue his cross-examination of Mr Parnell for the sixth day of the murder trial on Thursday.