Overview
- Joshua Michals, 26, told the Old Bailey he acted to protect himself after Zhe Wang, 31, allegedly confronted him with a kitchen knife at her Lewisham flat.
- He testified that he grabbed her wrist, the knife fell, both reached for it, and a panicked swing led to a stab wound to her face, followed by a second facial wound during the continuing struggle.
- Michals said he pressed his forearm on her neck to restrain her, believed she had died, and insisted he never intended to kill or cause harm.
- He admitted discarding the knife, her phone, his sliders and food in a bin, leaving by Uber, contacting his father and solicitor, and then calling 999; police later found Wang in a pool of blood with two facial stab wounds.
- The prosecution told jurors a pathologist estimated she could have survived for 30 to 60 minutes and questioned his reported delay before seeking help, while the trial continues and Michals denies murder.