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Man on trial for deadly stabbing: 'I intended to kill him'

A Gaston County man is on trial for the deadly 2013 stabbing of another man.

Steve Neely's attorney said Neely is guilty of something for stabbing David Colbert, but not first-degree murder.
        
On Wednesday, jurors heard Neely's words just after the fatal stabbing.

His comments may not have helped his case.

During the videotaped police interrogation, Neely said his ex-wife's new husband, David Colbert, wanted to buy Neely's home.

Neely said Colbert offered a low bid and began to talk down to him.

In the video you can hear Neely say, “There really wasn't a lot of premeditation, just a jolt. I looked at him and I said, ‘strike three.’”

Neely said he cut Colbert across the face with a kitchen knife.

He said Colbert ran through a glass door trying to get away and looked back at Neely.

"He was asking me not to do it, but I have had enough," Neely said in the video.

"He told me he was thinking that he's not dead yet,” said Gastonia Police Department Detective Mike Chambers.

Neely admitted he chased Colbert down the street.

“What did you intend to do when you caught up with him?” Chambers asked Neely.

 “I intended to kill him,” Neely said.

In the interrogation video, Neely said he stabbed Colbert as he ran for his life, then Neely stood over him as his neighbors watched.

"He goes down on his back, and that’s when I just (makes the throat-slashing motion),” Neely said.

Neely then sat on the curb, ate his fast-food dinner and read the Bible until police arrived.

He surrendered without a fight and the next day told the judge, "I don't know much about the system or how things work, but I mean, I'm guilty."

The defense team is trying to show there was no premeditation -- one of the conditions needed for first-degree murder.
        
Second-degree murder is also an option for the jury.
        
Neely is expected to take the stand in his own defense Thursday.

PAST COVERAGE:

May 9, 2013: Man accused in stabbing says he doesn’t need attorney