A murder accused claimed he found his girlfriend lying injured in her flat and then heard “someone running”.
Keith Rizzo was quizzed by detectives hours after the death of Neomi Smith.
The 23-year-old told how he heard an “almighty bang” while in the shower at Miss Smith’s home in Brechin on June 9.
He recalled then holding onto his dying partner as she lay stricken in the kitchen.
Rizzo also claimed Miss Smith had been getting “bother” from an ex-boyfriend.
The ex-farm worker is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow and denies murdering the 23-year-old.
Jurors heard Rizzo being interviewed by police.
He recalled how they had been at a bar in Brechin before returning to Miss Smith’s flat.
The court again heard how Rizzo stated he went for a wash after getting back.
He then told detectives: “I was showering and (then) it was just an almighty bang.
“I heard a door getting slammed and then she screamed my name.”
Rizzo said he initially thought Miss Smith had “done something stupid”.
He went on to claim his partner was “just lying there” in the blood-stained kitchen.
Rizzo added: “She managed to just have enough breath and she was like: ‘I love..’
“That was it – she just gasped and there was nothing. I was holding her, checking her pulse, couldn’t get nothing…”
Rizzo stated he and Miss Smith would have “small petty arguments”.
But, he went on: “God… I really feel it now.
“We’ve built all this together and someone’s torn it away.”
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Quizzed later in the interview, an officer asked: “So did you see anybody in the flat at all?”
Rizzo replied: “There was the sound of someone running.” He said he was unsure where it was coming from.
Rizzo added: “It is hard to tell with that place.”
The detective said: “You’ve said you’ve gone in and saw Neomi lying there…”
He replied: “You should never see it… a young woman lying there. We’re 23 years old.”
Rizzo earlier told police Miss Smith had spotted a person lurking nearby as they returned from the pub.
He said: “We were walking and she was like: ‘Someone’s standing there with their hood up’.
“I said: ‘shut up’.”
Rizzo believed the individual to be aged between “27 to 30s at least”.
He further claimed in the interview that Miss Smith in the “past while” had “a lot of bother” from a former partner.
Rizzo went on to name the man. He claimed the ex “used to steal money out of her accounts”.
Rizzo denies the accusations. The trial, before Lady Rae, continues.
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