A man accused of murdering his flatmate appeared to have been drinking when police arrived, a court has heard.
Constable Jon MacDonald attended the flat on King Street in Peterhead after receiving reports of an incident early on September 27 last year.
He told the High Court in Aberdeen yesterday that when he arrived, he noticed blood on the steps.
And when he got inside, he said Kestutis Butkevicious appeared “under the influence of drink”.
The 44-year-old is on trial accused of murdering his flatmate Martynas Krasaukas, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
He has lodged a special defence of incrimination, blaming his former partner Orinta Kalinauskaite.
Yesterday, Constable MacDonald told the jury that when he and his two colleagues arrived at the flat, he saw “spots of blood” on the steps and immediately switched on his body worn camera.
He said he saw “more splatters of blood” through the hallway and in the carpets, and called out – prompting a man to come out of one of the rooms.
The officer said: “I asked him to let me see his hands, then I asked him who had been stabbed.”
When asked how Butkevicious appeared, Constable MacDonald said: “He appeared to be under the influence of drink.”
The constable said he stopped when he reached the bathroom, adding: “There was a male who appeared to be motionless lying on the bathroom floor.
“The male’s feet were closest to me, he was lying fully on his back.
“There were no signs of life from that male. I could see what appeared to be a wound in his upper chest area.”
Advocate depute Shirley McKenna, prosecuting, asked the officer what he thought when he saw Mr Krasaukas on the floor.
Describing the blood around the man, as well as on the bath and in the sink, he replied: “I thought he was dead.”
The trial, before judge Lady Stacey, continues.
