Murder accused Keith Kerinauia has returned to the place he fatally stabbed 20-year-old bottle shop worker Declan Laverty for the first time since the night of the incident.

Mr Kerinauia has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Laverty, with his lawyers arguing he acted in self-defence inside the Airport Tavern BWS in Darwin's northern suburbs in March 2023.

Mr Kerinauia, who was then 19, has been in custody since the morning after the fatal stabbing.

Alongside the judge, jury, and trial lawyers, Mr Kerinauia re-entered the BWS on Friday escorted by prison guards.

Inside, lawyers stepped the jury through the events of the night of March 19 when Mr Laverty was killed.

Before Friday, the jury had only seen the bottle shop through CCTV footage capturing the incident.

CCTV footage played in court showed Mr Kerinauia interacting with Mr Laverty, who was behind the store's counter.

Several witnesses told the court Mr Kerinauia became upset after Mr Laverty told Mr Kerinauia's cousin to leave the store because he was not wearing shoes.

Footage played to the court also showed Mr Kerinauia leaving the store and re-entering a short time later with a knife, before he and Mr Laverty confronted one another inside the store.

At the request of the prosecution, CCTV from the night in question will not be released to media until the conclusion of the trial.

Knife penetrated victim's heart, court hears

Forensic pathologist Marianne Tiemensma gave evidence on Friday, day five of the trial, providing details of Mr Laverty's fatal injuries.

She said the "fatal wound" Mr Laverty sustained was five centimetres long and more than 10 centimetres deep and "in keeping with a single-edged blade with a sharp edge pointing upwards".

The court heard Mr Laverty sustained a total of seven injuries including five stab wounds and two superficial injuries, while Mr Kerinauia suffered two superficial lacerations, including a cut on his face.

Dr Tiemensma told the court the blade, during the fatal wounding, had penetrated through Mr Laverty's right lung and into his heart.

Mr Kerinauia's lawyer, Jon Tippett KC, objected to Dr Tiemensma being asked questions regarding her observations of the CCTV footage.

Following deliberations, the trial was adjourned until Monday when Dr Tiemensma was scheduled to finish giving evidence.

Trial at half-way point

Almost 20 witnesses have given evidence so far in the trial, including eye-witnesses, first responders, forensic experts and the arresting officer.

Statements provided to police by Mr Laverty's mum, Samara Laverty, have also been read aloud in court, revealing Ms Laverty knew her son carried his own knife to work and had encouraged him to do so for his own protection.

The victim was found with two knives, including a folding-knife and a box-cutter, in the pockets of his jeans during an examination of the crime scene.

The knife used by the accused, described by several witnesses as being roughly the length of a ruler, has never been found.

The court on Thursday heard evidence from the manager of the Airport Tavern BWS at the time of the incident, who said employees were supplied with certain cutting implements, but were not allowed to bring their own knives to work.