Questions over how a man sustained horrific injuries in a Darwin public housing area will form the basis of a three-week murder trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.
Henry Acela was 54 years old when he died at the Royal Darwin Hospital in April 2022 following an alleged “act of violence” by his cousin Eliasoa Wasaga.
Wasaga's murder trial began on Monday.
He pleaded not guilty.
In his opening address to the court, prosecutor Damian Jones said Mr Acela suffered “numerous blunt force injuries” including “multiple lacerations to his face and scalp”, bruising to his head, internal injuries and “major burns” to his torso. said.
Prosecutor Damian Jones said Henry Acela's family had been put in the “unimaginable” position of having to make the decision to take him off life support. (ABC News: Olivana Lasry)
The Crown said that between the night of April 7 and the early hours of April 8, Mr Wasaga primarily used a “metal crutch” and a mop to “beat” Mr Acella in the victim's unit at Tomalis Court, Smith Street. claimed to have done so.
The court heard Mr Acela was taken to hospital for treatment but was taken off life support almost two weeks later.
On Monday, jurors were shown images taken from a police officer's body camera that appeared to show the victim lying on the ground covered in blood.
The defendant, Mr. Wasaga, appears to be holding a mop.
Jones said the trial will hear evidence from witnesses including the deceased's family members, neighbors, first responders and forensic experts.
He said Acela's family had been put in the “unimaginable” position of making the decision to remove life support.
Henry Acela's family attended the first day of his murder trial. (ABC News: Olivana Lasry)
Mr Wasaga's lawyer, Colin Mundy SC, said there was no doubt the victim had sustained serious injuries, but he would contest during the trial how those injuries were caused.
“Our submission will make the evidence very unclear as to how that injury occurred, who caused it, and under what circumstances,” Mundy said.
He asked the jury to “ignore emotional language and inappropriate language.”
Colin Mundy SC has indicated he intends to raise questions about how Henry Acela sustained the injury. (ABC News: Olivana Lasry)
“This is not a TV show, this is not a play, this is not theater,” Mundy told the court.
“This is an intellectual exercise in looking at evidence and seeing where that evidence takes you.”
Mundy said she did not dispute that Wasaga was with the unit when police arrived and told officers he did not injure the victim.
Discovery in the trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
