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Homicide suspect Michael Elendu informed a jury in Calgary on Friday that his sufferer made loss of life threats in opposition to him shortly earlier than he stabbed the deceased within the coronary heart with a sword.
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Elendu mentioned he and his roommate, Kyreese Wright, obtained into an argument on the morning of December 16, 2020, about enjoying loud music, which escalated right into a verbal altercation.
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“He meant to kill me and he was going to name his cousins to take care of me, and I additionally made threats to him, I mentioned he did not know who he was coping with,” Elendu testified .
“He additionally mentioned he was going to piss on my grave. He would take care of me and piss on my household’s grave.”
Elendu, 21, is charged with second-degree homicide within the loss of life of Wright, 20. His legal professionals, Derek Jugnauth and Matt Browne, have pleaded responsible to manslaughter, however the prosecution is constant together with his trial on the extra severe cost.
Elendu informed Jugnauth he went to the upstairs bed room of one other roommate to retrieve a Katana sword earlier than going to the basement, the place Wright went to the room of a fourth roommate, Tafari Carefoote-Jones. went, whom he knew as Nathan.
“I used to be very emotional, I used to be indignant, I did not know what to anticipate, so I grabbed one thing in protection of something that may occur,” he mentioned of retrieving the sword.
As he walked all the way down to the basement, he heard Wright speaking to Carefoote-Jones.
“I heard Kyreese say to Nathan, ‘go seize your weapons, go seize your weapons’,” he mentioned.
He knocked on Carefoote-Jones’ door asking him to open it, and after a brief silence it opened.
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“I used to be shocked to see Kyreese open it,” he mentioned.
“I simply reflexively raised my fingers and took a step again.”
When Wright walked again, he observed blood on his shirt.
Elendu informed Jugnauth that he had not armed himself with the sword to hurt Wright.
“It was not for a purpose to kill or kill him, sir.”
Elendu’s testimony contradicted that of Carefoote-Jones and one other witness, who mentioned that shortly after Wright was stabbed, the defendant got here into the room and videotaped the dying sufferer.
Carefoote-Jones informed the courtroom the defendant taunted Wright and swore at him earlier than fleeing the residence, however Elendu informed Jugnauth he by no means returned to the room after the knife.
Beneath cross-examination, Crown prosecutor Samina Dhalla advised that Elendu was mendacity on that time.
“I will recommend to you that you simply really got here again to his room moments later,” mentioned Dhalla.
“No, madam,” Elendu mentioned.
“You got here again with a sword in your hand and likewise a telephone in your hand. I am additionally going to recommend to you that you simply selected that second to take Kyreese up and taunt him,” the prosecutor mentioned.
“No, I did not.”
The trial continues on Monday.
KMartin@postmedia.com
Twitter: @KMartinCourts
