The first people to find the stabbing victim were among the witnesses called to the stand.
A 2014 slaying was a brutal act of "jealousy and pride" as Daniel Lawrence fought with the 30-year-old victim, Warren Moore, fatally stabbing him nine times, according to the prosecutor.
Lawrence's attorney countered, saying that Lawrence's actions, while deadly, where actually in self defense.
The opening statements from the prosecution and defense on Monday morning led off the first day of testimony in Lawrence's trial, in which he is charged with murder and weapons offenses.
The jury of seven men and seven women heard from nine witnesses Monday, starting with the two Warren County 911 dispatchers who were the first people to see that the 30-year-old Moore, of Jersey City, bloody and flailing in agony on the front lawn of 276 E. Washington St. in the borough of Washington.
'Jealousy and pride': The state's case
Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Victor Jusino in his opening said Moore went to the home, his ex-girlfriend's, to retrieve a bag on Sept. 2, 2014.
Lawrence was also romantically involved with the woman, Melissa Woody, and was at the home, allegedly setting off verbal sparring that turned physical. At one point, Jusino said, Moore, though larger, was curled up on the front porch to shield himself from Lawrence's punches.
Defense attorney Edward Hesketh did not dispute that Lawrence stabbed Moore, but said the state must show it was not self defense. He said that none of the state's witnesses saw the stabbing.
Attorney: Stabbing was self defense
The first day of testimony mostly dealt with the early investigation. The 911 dispatchers -- Dirk Higgins and Shawn Weilamann, who were on their way to a training course -- said they saw Moore in distress and called for emergency personnel.
Moore was bleeding and his breathing was ragged, "almost like a death rattle," Weilamann said.
Warren Moore, 30, of Jersey City, is seen in an undated photo. He was stabbed to death Sept. 2, 2014, in Washington. (NJ Advance Media file photo)Current and former officers from the Washington Township Police Department described responding to the scene and collecting evidence. Several photos of blood on and around the front porch were submitted into evidence, as was the knife itself.
The fact that that the folding knife had two ID cards with Lawrence's name, and that blood of both men was found, was not disputed.
In his cross-examination of Monday's witnesses, Hesketh asked few questions, mostly inquiring if any of those who responded to the scene had witnessed anything that preceded the dispatchers' discovery. None had.
Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities investigate a fatal stabbing Sept. 2, 2014, at 276 E. Washington Ave. in the borough of Washington. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.