The jury in the trial of a Hungarian tourist who allegedly used a banjo to beat and throttle a 69-year-old man is watching a video of a three-hour police interview with the accused.
At the close of its deliberations yesterday, the jury in the High Court at Auckland asked to watch the video and was then expected to resume deliberations.
The jury spent 3-1/2 hours deliberating yesterday after the judge's summing up.
Ferdinand Ambach, 32, a dive master in Hungary, is charged with the murder of Ronald Brown in Onehunga.
Mr Brown's battered body was found at his flat in the early hours of December 7 2007. He died three days later in hospital after his life support was switched off.
The jury, of three men and nine women, was told that Mr Brown was assaulted with a 2.7kg banjo.
He was struck a number of blows on the head before Ambach allegedly used the broken off neck of the banjo and rammed it down Mr Brown's throat.
Ambach allegedly met Mr Brown in 306 Bar in Onehunga, before he went back to his flat.
The jury was told there was a misunderstanding between the men, with Mr Brown wrongly thinking Ambach was gay.
A heated argument broke out between them and Ambach allegedly beat and killed Mr Brown with the banjo.
When police arrived on the scene, they found Mr Brown badly injured and Ambach yelling in Hungarian. He was throwing furniture through an upstairs window and on to the lawn.
Ambach told police in an interview that he could only remember parts of what happened that night.
