‘I’ll do the same I did to Adam’: Witness tells court of murder-accused’s threat after deadly brawl
A witness in the trial of a man charged with stabbing a Brisbane footballer to death has told a jury of the threat he received after the deadly brawl.
A man accused of stabbing a Brisbane footballer to death in a violent rugby league club brawl threatened to “do the same” to another man who witnessed the fight, a jury has been told.
Levi John Stephen Elliott is on trial at Brisbane Supreme Court, charged with the stabbing murder of Adam John Woodward outside the Brothers St Brendans Leagues Club on August 24, 2018.
He has pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, crown prosecutor Caroline Marco told the jury Mr Elliott fatally stabbed Mr Woodward with a butterfly knife as the pair fought.
Mr Elliott’s defence counsel has argued he acted in self-defence during the fight.
On the second day of the trial, Stephen Liu Liu, a relative of Mr Woodward, told Brisbane Supreme Court that Mr Elliott said he would “do the same thing” to him just moments after the brawl.
Mr Liu Liu said tensions had escalated between the pair through the night, erupting into a fistfight on the street outside the club.
He said he saw Mr Elliott on the ground trying to defend himself and swung his arm “sideways” to Mr Woodward’s neck.
“It was pretty quick … he didn’t use his knuckles and had his thumb and index finger clawed over,” Mr Liu Liu said.
“I saw (the knife) after the incident.”
The witness told the court Mr Woodward collapsed after he was pulled off Mr Elliott, who was covered in blood.
He claimed Mr Elliott then said to him: “Stay away from me or I’ll do the same thing I did to Adam.”
“He (Levi Elliott) ran towards the train station, under the bridge,” Mr Liu Liu said.
A forensic pathologist found Mr Woodward had sustained 17 stab wounds, including a fatal wound to his neck.
On Monday, the jury was told Mr Elliott and Mr Woodward had a history of animosity and previously had confrontations at the club.
Ms Marco said Mr Elliott did not like Mr Woodward as he had “treated his sister badly” following a one-off sexual interaction.
He also claimed Mr Woodward had been rude to his mother and gotten into disputes with her.
The trial continues.