Murder accused Steven John claims he did not intend to kill Kumanjayi Skeen

A Top End man said he did not intend to kill his wife and a beloved mother -of-five when he allegedly plunged a weapon into her back.

Djaru mother-of-five Kumanjayi Skeen was allegedly murdered by her partner John Steven at Jilkminggan on Thursday July 6.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names and images of Indigenous people who have passed, used with the permission of their families.

A Top End man said he did not intend to kill his wife and a beloved mother-of-five when he allegedly plunged a weapon into her back.

On Tuesday the Supreme Court heard that Steven John would be pleading not guilty to the murder of his 45-year-old partner Kumanjayi Skeen.

It was alleged the then 45-year-old stabbed the Djaru woman in her Jilkminggan home just before midnight, on July 6, 2023.

Despite attempts to save her, she passed away an hour after the attack.

Defence barrister Claire Porter said the trial would likely come down to a question of whether Mr John intended to kill or cause serious harm to his wife during the alleged attack.

“I do suspect it will be a relatively narrow issue on trial,” Ms Porter said.

Prosecutor Rebecca Everitt said there was evidence of a history of violence by Mr John against Ms Skeen, but Chief Justice Michael Grant said any tendency evidence may not be useful for the trial.

“It’s almost impossible to establish a tendency to intend to kill somebody,” Justice Grant said.

The Supreme Court heard the couple’s adult daughter witnessed the alleged stabbing, and would be asked to give evidence in her father’s murder trial.

If found guilty of murder, Mr John will face a life sentence with a minimum 20-years non-parole period under the NT’s mandatory sentencing rules.

But more than 22-months after the alleged fatal stabbing, Justice Grant said the case was still “a long way off until trial”.

While it was currently listed for a 10-day trial, Ms Everitt said the actual trial would likely run between five to ten days.

A further pre-trial hearing was set down for July 9.

Originally published as Murder accused Steven John claims he did not intend to kill Kumanjayi Skeen