Samurai swordsman Antonie Dixon has begun giving evidence at his trial at the High Court in Auckland.
Mr Dixon, 40, is accused of murdering James Te Aute at an Auckland service station in 2003 and wounding two others with a samurai sword. He faces a total of eight charges.
Defence lawyer, Barry Hart, told the jury that his client was abused as a boy and did not have the nurturing of concerned parents.
The accused testified about his Jehovah's Witness upbringing and his relationship with his mother.
He said he inherited a demon from his father and was repeatedly raped and sodomised as a child.
The defence plans to call two psychiatrists to give evidence as well as Simonne Butler, who was one of those wounded.
