The Crown has started laying out its case in the jury trial of a man who has admitted to burning the body of his live-in girlfriend, but denies he murdered her.

Paul Calnen is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 34-year-old Reita Jordan more than two years ago.

Susan MacKay, a Crown attorney, said Jordan was planning to leave Calnen on March 18, 2013, and steal some of his possessions — including ATVs and a Corvette. MacKay says by that evening, Jordan was dead.

The two had a "complicated" relationship and knew each other for years, but only lived together for a number of months, said MacKay.

Jordan's body has never been found despite an extensive search in the area around the home in Hammonds Plains she shared with Calnen.

"The Crown's theory, obviously, is that Mr. Calnen murdered Ms. Jordan," MacKay told reporters outside the courtroom on Tuesday.

Peter Planetta, Calnen's lawyer, said he "obviously" disagrees with that theory.

"I think that's all I can say at this point," he told reporters.

'You have to prove the intent'

The other Crown attorney on the case, Rick Woodburn, said not having a body poses a challenge for this trial.

"In Canada, you don't need a body in order to prove murder," Woodburn said.

"However, it does make it difficult because you have to prove the intent. And part of that is the extent of the injuries or how they died that go to how the person actually intended to kill the person. In this case, we don't have that."

Jordan was reported missing in early April 2013, about two weeks after she was last seen. Calnen was arrested on June 17, 2013. He has been free on bail since shortly after his arrest.

The Crown's first witness, lobster fisherman Wade Weeks, told the court he knew Jordan for about eight years before she disappeared. He said he would meet Jordan from time to time to smoke crack and have sex.

Weeks was not able to complete his testimony before the jury was sent out of the courtroom and lawyers argued about certain evidence.

The case will resume Wednesday morning and is scheduled to run for five weeks.

The CBC's Blair Rhodes live blogged from today's trial.