In the preliminary investigation, there are pictures from a bloody hostel.
The accused man was himself subjected to assault before the manslaughter and during the trial he is both the perpetrator and the victim.
Protected against axe blows
On Thursday, he tells how two people broke open the door where he was.
"I only see two masked people with dark clothes and immediately I get the axe to my face. Then I understand that they want to kill me. As a reflex, I raise my hands for protection," he says.
"Takes out the knife and waves"
Then a wrestling match ensues and a neighbor comes in to interrupt. The murderer then gets to his feet and into the room opposite.
"I'm holding the door shut with everything I can, but they get it open. At the last millisecond, I take out the knife and wave the same hand I've been stabbed in," he said in the courtroom.
The axe has not been found
The now deceased man and his companion allegedly used an axe and a crowbar in the beating. No axe has been found, but an edge guard has been seized in connection with the incident.
"He has lacked options for action. The alternative would have been to be stabbed with an axe a few more times, the defense lawyer said in court.
In the clip, lawyer Marko Tuhkanen talks about how his client was attacked with an axe.