A man accused of being involved in the murder of Kelly Wilkinson by driving her convicted killer to her home will stand trial for her murder. Bradley Bell was charged three months after her death, allegedly knowing about her estranged husband Brian Earl Johnston’s deadly plan.
Kelly Wilkinson was killed on April 20, 2021, by Johnston, who later pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The former US Marine had ambushed Wilkinson, dousing her with petrol and setting her alight at the back of her Queensland home.
On Thursday, Bell’s case was addressed in the Brisbane Supreme Court. Bell’s defense attorney, Edwin Whitton, requested to delay the trial originally set for July to allow his client to undergo psychiatric evaluation in June.
The court was also informed that Bell had raised concerns about the admissibility of his police interviews, which may be used in his trial. Whitton expressed uncertainty on whether the psychiatric assessment would challenge the validity of the police interviews. Crown Prosecutor Philip McCarthy confirmed the prosecution was ready to proceed with using the interviews as evidence in the case.