The man in his 30s is said to have been messy and violent at the house party in a villa in Ronneby municipality, and while waiting for the police to come to the scene, he was wrestled down by four people who were holding him to the floor.
When police arrived at the scene after eight minutes, he was blue in the face and had stopped breathing, and he was later pronounced dead in the emergency room.
Two years later, the four men, aged 25-30, who were holding him to the floor, were charged with aggravated causing another person's death and aggravated assault.
According to the indictment, one person must have been sitting on the man's back for a long time, while the others held arms, legs and neck.
Denies crime
Defense lawyer Torgny Palm is critical of the fact that the investigation has been going on for so long.
- It is very bad that it has taken so long.
And I do not understand why it took so long, he says.
- It is of course not good for anyone involved that it has taken two years, but it is because there have been many free cases with deprivation of liberty that have been prioritized, said Deputy Chief Prosecutor Marie Lindström to SVT Nyheter Blekinge in connection with the prosecution.
During the first day of the trial, it sometimes became emotional in the courtroom.
When the alarm call was played, a relative of the deceased had to leave the room.
All four deny the crime, as they believe that they acted in self-defense because the man was violent and threatening and made significant resistance.
They also say that they regularly checked that he was breathing and had a pulse.