Warning: Report includes graphic details that may be distressing to some listeners.
A man accused of murdering his mother told a family friend he couldn't cope shortly before he attacked her with a hammer.
Martin Marinovich on trial in the High Court at Auckland charged with murdering his mother Noeleen in their West Auckland home last February.
The jury has heard the 28-year-old was his mother's sole carer - looking after her through ongoing bipolar disorder and worsening physical health.
On Tuesday, a family friend told the jury the Mr Marinovich said he couldn't do it anymore days before he killed her.
RNZ court reporter Anneke Smith filed this story.