A man accused of killing another man with an "extremely sharp" weapon during a fight at a Logan park, south of Brisbane, has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Harley David Wegener is facing a one-week trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, charged over the death of Benjamin Suttie in August 2018.
The 37-year-old died in hospital three days after suffering major blood loss and organ failure as a result of a serious wound to his neck.
At the beginning of the trial, Crown prosecutor Greg Cummings told the jury that Mr Suttie had been injured by Mr Wegener during a "scuffle" in Woodridge.
"There was a chance encounter between two groups in Prince Park … Ben Suttie was in one of the groups, the accused was in the other," Mr Cummings said.
"Within minutes of that encounter, Ben Suttie received a cut to his neck which severed his carotid artery."
Mr Cummings told the jury it was not contested that Mr Suttie had died as a result of this injury, nor that it was inflicted by Mr Wegener, but it would be disputed that Mr Wegener had a lawful reason to do so.
"It is not in dispute that the cut he received was from a cutting implement which the accused had in the park at that time," Mr Cummings told the jury.
"The prosecution will contend to you that it has proved beyond reasonable [doubt] that the accused cut Ben, intending to kill him or cause sudden grievous bodily harm."
Mr Cummings told the jury there were 13 circumstances which would prove Mr Wegener's intention was clear, including that he "picked a fight" with an unarmed Mr Suttie, before pulling out an "extremely sharp" weapon which was "most likely a knife", and then "targeted Ben's throat".
It also included Mr Wegener fleeing the scene "immediately afterwards" and "actively avoiding" police, disposing of the weapon "so effectively" that it has never been found, and telling a witness not to tell anyone what had happened, he told the jury.
Jury told of earlier 'animosity' between pair
Mr Cummings also told the jury the pair previously had negative interactions with each other when Mr Wegener was a teenager.
"There is no dispute the pair knew each other," he said.
The jury were told they could determine that Mr Wegener held a "degree of animosity" towards Mr Suttie and their past interactions "might provide a motive for him to be violent towards him".
However, they were also told, this evidence was only relevant if they accepted that Mr Wegener recognised the man he stabbed, before doing so.
The trial before Justice Melanie Hindman continues.
