The man charged with second-degree murder in the death of Chris Ausman is back on the stand for the second day.
Steven Pirko has been accused of killing the 32-year-old victim with a hammer in a bloody street fight near Kelowna’s Rutland Road and Highway 33 in January 2014.
Pirko said he ran away from the altercation because he panicked.
Pirko testified he was intoxicated on the night Ausman died.
He was interviewed by police about a week later.
Pirko testified that he had told police in February 2014 that he had been home all night. In court on Tuesday, he said that at the time, he had been lying and was trying to get information from police about what they knew.
Pirko wasn’t arrested until November 2016, nearly three years after Ausman was killed.
Pirko said he was using quite a bit at the time to ensure he wasn’t “dope sick.”
He testified that during his police interview, he was feeling severe withdrawal symptoms.
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Pirko is expected to continue on the stand on Tuesday.