Whittington man Haig Arslanian learns fate on murder charge, but will front court again

A jury has decided whether a Geelong man murdered his brother in a fiery spat at the home they shared, as the family wept at the verdict.

The jury in the trial of a Whittington man accused of killing his youngest brother with a shotgun has found him not guilty of murder.

The loved ones of Haig Arslanian, 40, wept in the courtroom as the jury told the court they found him not guilty of the murder charge.

However, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the manslaughter charge.

This will mean Haig Arslanian will return to court at a later date to be tried for manslaughter. He will remain in remand.

Justice Rita Incerti and defence lawyer Jarrod Williams said they had never come across a matter like this.

Haig Arslanian has been found not guilty of murdering his brother David (pictured). Picture: Mitch Bear

Haig Arslanian was accused, but found not guilty, of murdering his brother David Arslanian at their Boundary Road home in October 2018.

On the day of the shooting, it was alleged that Haig Arslanian took a shotgun from his father’s room and hid it under his bed.

When an argument with David Arslanian escalated, Haig Arslanian went to retrieve it and returned to shoot his brother twice.

Mr Williams told the court Haig Arslanian had killed his brother in self-defence, indicating to the jury that David Arslanian had a pattern of physical aggression against the family.

In his closing submissions, Mr Williams told the court while “nobody deserves to die a violent death”, David Arslanian’s previous acts of violence are “of course very relevant” to the self-defence argument.

“At the time (Haig Arslanian) pulled the trigger, he was compelled to do what he did because if he didn’t, he himself would be killed or seriously injured,” Mr Williams said.

Over the last fortnight, the court heard David Arslanian had been violent with his family on at least three occasions. On two, David Arslanian directed his anger at his father and Arman Arslanian, the oldest of the brothers and owner of Belmont Finest Meats & Poultry.

Two weeks before he was shot, Haig Arslanian confronted David Arslanian over his alleged drug use and claims that he was stealing from the family and from the butchers to fund the illegal habit.

David Arslanian became aggressive with Haig Arslanian by tackling him to the ground and choking him until he went “absolutely red”. Their father, John Arslanian, struggled to pull him away.

Their mother, Sevan Arslanian, said she noticed David Arslanian had changed his personality in the previous two years.

Sevan Arslanian was present on the day David Arslanian was murdered but was in her bedroom when the shots were fired.

She told the court she came out shortly afterwards and saw as he gasped for air and told her “something was not right…mum, I love you”.

Originally published as Whittington man Haig Arslanian learns fate on murder charge, but will front court again