A Bulgarian pizza chef planned the murder of a Perthshire jeweller in order to steal money from him, a jury has been told.
Advocate depute Jane Farquharson made her closing arguments in the trial of Nikola Zhulev at the High Court at Livingston.
She said he carried out “sinister” internet searches to find ways to kill Perthshire jeweller Alan Gardner before hitting him on the head with a heavy frying pan and possibly suffocating him with a pillow.
Ms Farquharson highlighted how, within days of moving in with the deceased at his bungalow in Balbeggie, the Zhulev suddenly had funds to consider renting a room on his own.
She asked the jury: “What’s that got to do with the murder? Because it shines the spotlight on his motive for killing.
“He’s using heroin it costs money, he’s renting a room it costs money. He owes money to his landlord and that clock is ticking because he said he’d have it on Monday.”
Ms Farquarson said the final mechanism of Mr Gardner’s death may never be known because of underlying health problems but she suggested the jury take the cause of death from all the facts and circumstances presented to them.
Zhulev, 30, a prisoner at Perth denies murdering Mr Gardner and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by concealing his body and digging a shallow grave in woodland.
The trial, before Lady Rae, continues.