A MAN accused of the murder of Eddie Meenan in Derry said he "wanted to come clean and tell the truth" about his involvement "for the sake of the family".
Sean Rodgers (34) is one of two men standing trial for the murder of the father-of-nine in November 2018.
The 52-year-old was beaten and stabbed to death at the rear of a house in the Creggan Street area. His friend Billy McConnell was also injured.
Rodgers, who at the time was living at Seamus Ruddy House in Derry, admitted for the first time that he attacked Mr Meenan.
"Now I just want to come clean, tell the court what I was involved in, what happened. For the family's sake I want them to have closure."
Before this occurred, Judge Donna McColgan QC addressed the jury of nine men and one woman at Derry Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, and said Rodgers legal team were not present "as they are no longer acting" for him, adding "you are not to read anything in to that at all".
Rodgers is on trial alongside Ryan Walters (22) of Station Park, Crossgar. Both men deny murdering Mr Meenan and wounding Billy McConnell in the early hours of November 25 2018.
Derek William Creswell (29) of Kings Lane, Ballykelly initially denied both charges, but changed his plea and admitted both charges.
Rodgers said on the day and evening of November 24 2018 he was with Creswell and Sinead Whyte, who lived at Creggan Street.
He said they were drinking and went into town, before he and Creswell returned to Whyte's house. Whilst Whyte was not with them, Walters joined them in her house.
He said as they sat drinking, "the next thing I turned round and there was two masked men at the back door".
"It caught us off guard. We were in the kitchen. I looked and I just freaked out and it just triggered 'fight of flight'. That kicked in and I just ran out the back door," he said.
"The back door was open and we were trying to keep it locked and they were pushing forward and back, the two masked men.
"I was punched in the eye while I was trying to get the back door shut so I opened the door and just ran out and ... with my hands, no weapons, I was fighting with my hands."
When asked who he was fighting with, Rodgers answered: "The person I now know as Edward Meenan. I was fighting with him."
Rodgers claimed while he was fighting with Mr Meenan, Walters and Creswell firstly attacked Mr McConnell who managed to flee, then "joined in" the assault on Mr Meenan.
He continued: "Everybody just started attacking him, hitting your man, and I seen Ryan hitting him with a baseball bat. I was just using my hands at this stage, kicking and punching him.
"Somebody lifted the weapon he was using and started hitting him with it too. Then somebody stabbed him. I don't know which one, who stabbed him."
He said "everybody thought it was the RA", adding "we didn't know it was Mr Meenan until after the assault, when the balaclava was took off".
Rodgers said he went with Creswell and Walters to his mother's house at Little Diamond where they burned items including Mr Meenan's clothes and his own blood-stained clothing and footwear.
He added: "I was fighting for self-defence. I didn't mean to kill anyone, I really didn't."
John Kearney QC, barrister representing Walters, also asked Rodgers if he was "the stabber" who inflicted over 50 knife wounds to Mr Meenan, but this was rejected by the accused.
Asked if he had used a weapon before, Rogers admitted following a night out with his girlfriend in Derry on Valentine's Day 2008, he stabbed a 16-year-old boy in the throat with a broken bottle.
The trial continues.
