A man accused of murdering an short-term tenant over unpaid rent has told a Melbourne court he is guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.

Key points: Ramis Jonuzi, 36, died from injuries sustained in a beating over unpaid rent of $210

Ramis Jonuzi, 36, died from injuries sustained in a beating over unpaid rent of $210 The court was told Jason Colton picked him up and threw him against the wall when he was unable to pay

The court was told Jason Colton picked him up and threw him against the wall when he was unable to pay The defence argued Mr Colton admitted to being "criminally responsible" for the death, but was not guilty of murder

Jason Rohan Colton, 42, is on trial in Victoria's Supreme Court for the murder of Ramis Jonuzi, 36, in October 2017.

Mr Jonuzi had rented a room in the same house as the accused.

Mr Jonuzi extended his stay by a week but when it came time to leave, he could not pay the $210 he owed to the man who had the lease on the house, Craig Levy.

The court heard a third man, Ryan Smart, also lived there.

Jason Colton is standing trial in the Supreme Court accused of murdering Ramis Jonuzi. ( Facebook: Jason Colton )

When Mr Jonuzi checked his bank account on his phone it showed "less than $10", the court heard.

He offered to contact his boss to see when he would be paid.

Mr Colton, Mr Levy and Mr Smart allegedly assaulted Mr Jonuzi after he could not pay.

Mr Colton was the first to confront Mr Jonuzi about the debt about 8:00pm while the men were inside the house.

He "picked him up and threw him against the wall and started choking him" prosecutor Mark Gibson told the jury in his opening statement.

"Mr Colton knew that his act would probably cause death or really serious injury to Mr Jonuzi," he said.

Mr Jonuzi died from compression of the neck and blunt force trauma.

The court heard Mr Levy and Mr Smart were holding Mr Jonuzi down, while Mr Colton choked him and then started punching him.

"There was blood spattered all over the place and items of furniture were being pushed around," Mr Gibson said.

The men dragged Mr Jonuzi outside after he lost consciousness.

The court heard Mr Jonuzi was crying and was "struggling to talk and was trying to scream".

The men made Mr Jonuzi check his bank balance again, but "he was still unable to pay".

The men were all staying at this house in Brighton East when Mr Jonuzi died. ( ABC News: Jonathan Hair )

The assault continued in the front yard of the house, the court heard.

At some stage Mr Colton is alleged to have wedged a pencil case between Mr Jonuzi's buttocks.

A neighbour heard what "sounded like a man [who] was in intense pain."

Eventually Mr Levy called the police, who arrived on the scene about 8:30pm.

Mr Jonuzi died a short time later.

Mr Colton's defence lawyer, Justin Hannebery QC, said there were few facts in dispute in this case and that his client admitted to "being criminally responsible for the death of Mr Jonuzi".

There was no dispute that Mr Colton "chokes Mr Jonuzi, punches Mr Jonuzi, kicks Mr Jonuzi", the lawyer said.

"His position is that he is guilty of manslaughter but not murder," Mr Hannebery said.

Mr Hannebery said his client did not act with reckless intent.

He also said the prosecution needed to prove that Mr Colton was responsible for the choke that killed Mr Jonuzi.

Bloodied sweatshirt found

A video of the crime scene was played to the jury, which showed Mr Jonuzi's half-naked body laid out on the front lawn.

His facial injuries — including a broken nose and beaten up face — could be seen clearly.

The video also showed blood stains on the porch and some blood specks in the foyer.

A tour of the house showed the small room Mr Jonuzi had rented on Airbnb.

Unlike the other rooms seen on the video, it was neat and tidy just hours after Mr Jonuzi removed his belongs.

The video showed a bed, a chair, a pedestal fan and a TV monitor on top of a chest of drawers.

In contrast, Mr Colton's garage bedroom was crammed with furniture, clothes and shoes.

The court heard a grey, bloodied hooded sweater was retrieved from the room.