Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, Guilty to Manslaughter

0:00It's April 15th, Sydney News. Today starts now, AI-powered and ready, I'm Cory, with the story. Andrew Mungotope, a 34-year-old man pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter in Northern Territory Supreme Court. This comes almost two years after he allegedly stabbed the sister girl from the T.W. Islands to death in Darwin on October 7th, 2024. The prosecution rejected the manslaughter plea, and the two-week trial kicked off this week. Incident happened at an apartment in Malax, Northern suburbs, where Mungotope was staying with the 37-year-old victim, his partner, their child and others. Everyone had been drinking that day. Crown prosecutors say witnesses, including teens who saw it go down, will testify about him grabbing a knife and rushing at her. Friends and family close to the victim expressed shock, saying they'd never seen any tension between her and Mungotope before. A close friend noted alcohol often made things tense, but never violent until then. The aunt who owned the place described seeing a scuffle after heavy drinking all day.

1:03More details emerged from young witnesses, like the victim's niece, who saw Mungotope slap the sister girl during an argument, then grab a big kitchen. Knife and chase her outside while yelling threats. A neighbor overheard repeated threats and called triple-zero, where Mungotope claimed she ran into his knife while he cooked. This argues it was a tragic family mishap with no intent for serious harm, just chaos from booze. The jury's hearing from more family, cops, and first responders as the trial rolls on. And we'll stay tuned for the verdict.