Man Pleads Not Guilty in Stabbing Death

0:00Robert Noel Rogers just pleaded not guilty to murdering Raymond Scopalitis in a Brisbane Supreme Court trial. Back in August 2021, the 32-year-old Scopalitis got stabbed multiple times and died right outside Rogers' home in Namboa on the Sunshine Coast. Rogers was 42 at the time and everyone agrees he used Scopalitis' own knife in the fight. Tensions had been building for weeks between the two, both occasional meth users. His old Scopalitis cash for drugs, and there was bad blood over Scopalitis wrongly thinking Rogers assaulted a girl they both knew. Messages started civil but turned into threats, with Scopalitis saying he wanted to hurt Rogers bad. That night, Scopalitis grabbed a knife, drove over with a buddy, and confronted Rogers on his stairs. Rogers punched and kicked him, got the knife away, and stabbed him fatally. Later, Rogers told a witness he stabbed the guy who came to his door and asked him to ditch the weapon. He first denied it to cops, but admitted Scopalitis kept coming at him.

1:01Crown prosecutor calls it a vengeful killing, saying Rogers didn't need lethal force even if provoked. Defense lawyer argues Rogers was fighting for his life, defending his home against sudden violence, and had every right to stand his ground. Trial set for a full week with witnesses like Rogers' daughter, and Scopalitis' friends stepping up. So the jury's got self-defense as the big. And hanging in the air, local news, powered by AI. This is Sydney News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.