Sword stab to the heart unintentional, accused killer says in Calgary murder trial

A man who fatally stabbed his roommate in the heart with a sword testified in his own defence Friday, telling jurors he didn't mean to kill the victim.

Michael Elendu, 21, is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of Kyreese Wright, 20.

Wright died on Dec. 16, 2020, after getting into an argument with Elendu. At the time, the two were living in the northwest community of Panorama Hills.  

The killing took place after Wright and Elendu got in a fight over the accused's loud music. 

'Michael has tried to take responsibility'

Elendu has admitted to killing Wright but defence lawyers Derek Jugnauth and Matthew Browne say he is guilty only of manslaughter.

"Michael has tried to take responsibility for his actions that day," said Jugnauth in his opening statement Friday.

"Every story has two sides and until now you've only heard one."

In his testimony, Elendu told jurors he and another roommate were cleaning when Wright came downstairs, angry over the accused's loud music.

'He was going to kill me'

Elendu says Wright began making threats against him, so he followed the victim upstairs.

"He said he was going to deal with me … piss on my grave, piss on my family's grave," said Elendu.

"He was going to kill me, call his cousins to deal with me."

• Argument over loud music led to roommate's fatal sword attack, Calgary jurors told

Elendu testified he retrieved a katana sword that belonged to a friend and then headed down to another roommate's basement bedroom, where Wright had gone after the argument.

The accused admitted he was in an emotional, angry state at the time.

'Blood on his shirt'

As Elendu got to the basement, he testified he heard the roommate yelling "grab his gun, grab his gun."

After knocking on the bedroom door, it opened and Elendu said he moved forward.

"And then I started seeing blood on his shirt," he told jurors.

"I was actually scared."

Elendu testified he did not mean to stab Wright and said he grabbed the sword for self-defence.

But under cross-examination, prosecutor Samina Dhalla suggested a more appropriate weapon for self-defence would have been the bear spray, which was in the same closet as the sword.

Contradictory evidence

Dhalla also focused a line of questioning on contradictory testimony between Elendu and other witnesses.

Two roommates testified Elendu returned to the room where Wright was stabbed and took a video of the dying man while taunting him.

But Elendu denied coming back to take a cellphone video.

The defence told jurors it will call an expert witness who tested the type of sword used by Elendu.

"You might be surprised at the result," said Jugnauth.

That witness is expected to testify that the level of force required to achieve the type of injury suffered by Wright is equivalent to lifting a one-litre carton of milk.