A father-of-two has testified at the trial of a teen accused of murdering his wife that the couple were woken after Boxing Day celebrations to find strangers in their home.
Emma Lovell was stabbed to death on the lawn outside her North Lakes home, north of Brisbane, after midnight on December 27, 2022 during a home invasion allegedly carried out by two 17-year-old boys.
One of the youths on Monday in the Brisbane Supreme Court pleaded not guilty to murder.
The youth also pleaded not guilty to armed break-in as well as malicious acts and assault occasioning bodily harm towards Ms Lovell's husband Lee, who was stabbed in the back then kicked on the ground.
The defendant was recently granted an application for a judge-only trial due to youth crime being a central issue ahead of Saturday's Queensland election and previous media reports that made claims about his criminal record.
Mr Lovell gave evidence on Monday that he watched a movie with his family on the night of December 26 and then went to bed at 9.30pm.
He said he was woken by his dog barking and his wife told him she could see the front door was open via the security camera feed on her phone.
"I bolted to the bedroom door, (Ms Lovell) was immediately behind me," he said.
Mr Lovell said he saw a male person in the hallway right in front of his face and a second male in the living room.
"I just tried to push him out of the house. I was wrestling with him," he said.
Justice Michael Copley heard the confrontation moved to the front door and Ms Lovell was fatally stabbed once through the heart on the front lawn with an 11.5cm knife.
Mr Lovell told defence barrister Laura Reece he did not see a knife at any time and did not know he and his wife had been stabbed until the paramedics told him.
Crown prosecutor David Nardone said during his opening statement that the defendant had not directly carried out the violence against the Lovells.
Mr Nardone said the youth was guilty of the acts committed by the other 17-year-old as they were the probable consequences of their shared actions to break into a home while armed with a knife.
The other teen charged over Ms Lovell's death pleaded guilty in March to her murder and in May was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment.
Mr Nardone said the defendant attended youth accommodation about 120 metres from the Lovells' home on December 26, 2022 before his companion likely took a knife from that location.
Justice Copley was told security camera vision from the Lovells' home would be crucial to the case.
"The co-offender moves his hand in front of the accused's face. It is a matter of centimetres between the knife and his face," Mr Nardone said.
Ms Reece said the prosecution would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the youth knew the other teen had a knife.
The trial is due to run for another four days.
