EVIDENCE is still being collected in the case of a man accused of shooting and killing John Simpson in the Hunter earlier this year.
Joshua David Wright remains behind bars and did not have to front Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday when prosecutors said his murder case could not progress.
The court heard there were still "significant items" that needed to be added to the brief of evidence police have been compiling.
Magistrate Robert Stone granted a seven-week adjournment and Wright will face court again in March.
The 34-year-old accused was extradited from Victoria and charged in July last year with shooting Mr Simpson in the head in April 2023.
Police allege his body was buried in a shallow grave on a Laguna property.
He has not been required to enter pleas to a string of serious allegations, including murder and three counts of possessing an unauthorised firearm.
Months later, Mark David Thomas was arrested by Strike Force Blakely detectives at Cessnock and was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
The 49-year-old had his case adjourned in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday to the same date as his co-accused in March.
Neither man made a bid for release from custody and bail was formally refused.
Mr Simpson, 42, was reported missing in April last year after he was last seen on Great North Road in Laguna, about 40km south west of Cessnock.
What started as a missing persons case quickly evolved into a grisly murder after Mr Simpson's body was found in May.
Local police launched an investigation before State Crime Command's Homicide Squad took over the investigation and set up Strike Force Blakely.
Initial inquiries suggest Mr Simpson suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
Strike Force Blakely investigations continue.
