The husband of a woman found stabbed to death in their Gordon home told a court the couple had agreed to return to Yemen before she died.
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Sabah Al-Mdwali's family members were among a packed public gallery as her accused killer, Maged Mohommed Ahmed Al-Harazi, 36, took to the stand in his ACT Supreme Court jury trial on Wednesday.
The Crown had earlier wrapped up its case against Mr Al-Harazi, 36, who was charged with murder after the body of his 28-year-old wife was found on a bed inside the pair's Knoke Avenue house in 2015.
Prosecutors say he plunged a knife into Ms Al-Mdwali 57 times as she breastfed their infant son during a heated argument that broke out the night of March 16.
Mr Al-Harazi pleaded not guilty to her killing. He maintained his wife's father and brother went to the house that night and asked him to leave with their three children.
When he returned, he said, the two men had gone and his wife was dead. The men were arrested but later released without charge.
The trial has previously heard the couple, who were married for about nine years, had a tumultuous relationship.
Much of the tension stemmed from discussions over where they would live; Mr Al-Harazi was desperately unhappy and wanted to return to Yemen, while Ms Al-Mdwali wanted to stay in Australia with her family.
Mr Al-Harazi began his evidence, through an Arabic interpreter, on Wednesday afternoon.
Under questioning from defence barrister Ken Archer, Mr Al-Harazi spoke of meeting and marrying his wife in Sana'a in 2005 before they first moved to Australia in 2008.
They later returned to Yemen before moving back to Canberra and into the public housing property at Gordon in 2014.
Mr Al-Harazi said he had spoken with Ms Al-Mdwali "every now and then" about where they would live and the couple had plans to relocate.
"We had agreed that by the end of 2015 we would return to Yemen."
He said the couple had gone to Ms Al-Mdwali's sister's house the night before she died to sign documents related to renewing the lease on their home.
The defendant also gave evidence of an argument between the couple in January 2015, which police attended, that prompted Ms Al-Mdwali to move out briefly at her father's insistence.
"Initially I refused and I said, 'what did I do wrong?'. Why would you take her away from me?" he said.
Mr Al-Harazi's evidence will continue on Thursday.
