Darren John Ellis, 37, is on trial in the Supreme Court in Melbourne after pleading not guilty to murdering 19-year-old Naomi Marree Bernaldo.

Ms Bernaldo's naked body was discovered wrapped in chicken wire with black cable ties and weighed down with two rocks and a metal weight in St George's Lake in Creswick on November 2, 2006.

She had been shot in the head and stabbed twice in the chest.

During the trial, prosecutor Paul D'Arcy told the court Ellis was a "liar" who had "plenty of time to get ahead of police, plenty of time to cover his tracks and consider the story and hope the body is never found".

Mr D'Arcy said Ellis had told different stories to different people to explain Ms Bernaldo's absence after September 29, 2006, and had been "nicely prepared" when police searched the house and found "not even a skerrick of his

DNA" on any of the 17 guns and numerous knives that he owned.

He said a photo album, jewellery and baby photos belonging to Ms Bernaldo would not have been "voluntarily left behind" at the Clunes Rd house the pair had shared, and did not tally with Ellis' story that she had packed up

and left him in the night.

"Don't trust this accused man with the truth, he'll tell you anything, lie upon lie . . . ," Mr D'Arcy said.

Mr D'Arcy also described Ellis, as he appeared in in a video-taped police interview, as "shifty" and "evasive ".

However, defence lawyer Peter Chadwick rejected these descriptions and said Ellis was "straightforward " with police and "emphatic " in his answers, despite being grief stricken.

Mr Chadwick said the crown case had "gaping holes ".

"Darren made no secret of Naomi's departure . . . It was a matter of considerable conversation and considerable discussion, " Mr Chadwick said.

He said the pair had been happy in their relationship and Ellis had no motive for murdering her.

"Her relationship with Darren was there for all the world to see when she had his name tattooed on her left breast, " Mr Chadwick said.

Mr Chadwick said the rocks, chicken wire and cable ties found with Ms Bernaldo body did not link Ellis to Ms Bernaldo's murder.