James Terence Hunt: Third man charged in Greenbushes murder case

Police have charged a third man with murder after the body of missing Greenbushes man Raymond Smith was found in bushland not far from his home. Boyanup man James Terence Hunt, 30, was arrested by police on Wednesday and charged overnight with one count of murder. Mr Smith had been missing since December 7, with an appeal launched days later, but last week, when there has still been no contact, police began to search his home in Greenbushes’ main street. Mr Hunt is the third man to be charged over the death of Mr Smith and is set to face Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday. Paul Douglas May, 41, appeared in Bunbury Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder over the death of 68-year-old Mr Smith. Mr May did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody. He will appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on January 24. Kevin Allan Craig Potter, 35, who was charged on Friday, is also accused of involvement in the alleged killing. Mr Potter faced Northbridge Magistrates Court via video link from Bunbury on Sunday and was remanded in custody to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court later this month. Police began looking for Mr Hunt on Tuesday but refused to go into any further details, including whether they were known to Mr Smith or provide any details as to Mr Smith’s cause of death. “We’re in contact with his family,” the detective said. “Obviously, they are finding it very difficult, as you would expect, but they are providing us with a lot of information about Mr Smith’s background, and that’s a significant part of our investigation into the circumstances leading to his death.” Mr Smith had not been heard from since December 7 and was reported missing 11 days later. The homicide squad took over the investigation last week, revealing it was being treated as suspicious. Forensic police spent Monday and Tuesday last week combing Mr Smith’s home on Blackwood Road - Greenbushes’ main street — before expanding the search area into nearby bushland on Wednesday, where his body was eventually found. Neighbour Joanne Woods said she knew “something wasn’t right” when his front door was left open for a week. “(Mr Smith) was always very polite. He’d stop out the front, wave, say hello,” she said. “We noticed that his door was open, and his vehicle was in the garage. “The door was never closed for the rest of the week, and we realised then that something wasn’t right.” Ms Woods said she would remember Mr Smith as a “nice, kind guy”. “I only knew Raymond briefly, passing here and there. I’d sit on his porch, have a drink with him or have a chat,” she said. “He wouldn’t really tell you anything much. “He’d come down and bring me some lemons; he wouldn’t stay; he’d just pop some lemons on the table or call out that some lemons are here or some avocados from the tree.”