Man on trial for allegedly slashing friend to death with a machete in Melbourne
Christopher Reyes Gonzaga has been charged with murdering his friend Gregory Tan with a machete in an empty Deer Park house, and his trial began in the Victorian Supreme Court.
In a Victorian Supreme Court hearing, Christopher Reyes Gonzaga faces a murder charge for the killing of his 45-year-old friend Gregory Tan in an empty home in Deer Park, western Melbourne. Prosecutors say Gonzaga hacked Tan with a machete at least 39 times, causing severe injuries to the jugular, carotid artery, skull and a partially severed right hand, which they describe as a defensive wound. After the attack, Gonzaga allegedly ignited two fires inside the house, fled, and discarded the machete in a drain before dialing triple zero to report the blaze.
CCTV presented to jurors captured loud yells and thumping noises on the early morning of April 15, as well as Gonzaga crouching behind a car without facial injuries. Gonzaga maintains he acted in self-defence, asserting Tan threatened him with a screwdriver, and he has pleaded not guilty. The court also heard that the two men had a history of drug use together, and Gonzaga later told police he believed others had killed the previous resident of the house to facilitate a robbery.
