SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A man accused of murdering his former roommate over a stolen PlayStation and other items got emotional on the witness stand, calling it self-defense and saying “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
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Jake Bilotta is accused of stabbing Joshua Barnes 17 times over the theft of a PlayStation in 2018.
Bilotta told the jury he was chopping up marijuana with a large knife when he went to open the door for Barnes with the knife in hand.
Bilotta said he screamed and tried to attack him, going for the knife so he stabbed him in self-defense. However, prosecutors said his version of events don’t add up.
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Prosecutors said Barnes was lured to the home in Maitland by Bilotta, who was upset about items missing from the home including the PlayStation 4, a bong, a scale and a watch.
Bilotta said he didn’t lure Barnes to the home, and when he answered the door with a knife, Barnes overreacted coming at him. He felt he needed to defend himself and stabbed him.
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“He actually managed to get hold of my hand, and I was trying to pull away but I was … starting to get nervous with what was going on in in the scenario because things escalated,” Bilotta said. “It was basically 0-100.”
Prosecutors said Bilotta’s testimony doesn’t match the other witnesses, including the testimony provided by Ian McClurg, his co-conspirator who pleaded no contest to tampering with evidence and accessory to murder.
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