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Alvin Patrick Junior Naistus was defending himself when he stabbed Billy Johnston in the heart during an altercation in the parking lot of the Northwoods Inn, his defence lawyer told a Saskatoon jury.

Closing arguments were made on Wednesday at Naistus’s second-degree murder trial in Court of Queen’s Bench. The Crown closed its case on Tuesday after calling 22 witnesses over six days. The defence called no evidence.

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During the trial, the jury heard Naistus, now 26, and Johnston, 44, were holding “bladed weapons” when they left a motel room around 6:30 a.m. on April 18, 2015.

Kajtim Ali, a friend of Naistus, testified he was just outside the room when the men emerged, yelling and holding knives. He said Naistus kept trying to walk away while the other man, who he didn’t know was Johnston, kept trying to attack Naistus.

Photo by Court exhibit photos / Saskatoon

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko called that “Part A” of the altercation. Even if Johnston initially was the aggressor, things changed as the two men, facing each other, moved further away, she argued.