He testified that when Singler answered the door, he held his roommate back while McCowan stood in the hallway.

In previous court testimony, Aho said Singler overpowered him and came after McCowan, punching him in the face, but today testified that McCowan and Singler went after each other.

He said the blow delivered was “not the strongest punch he (Singler) could have thrown” but acknowledged that Singler was “in shape” and was an athlete that lifted weights on occasion.

Aho testified today that after the struggle in the hallway, Connor stumbled and the fight continued inside the apartment where Singler was fatally stabbed.

He previously told officers that he didn’t see the knife prior to the fight, and incorrectly identified the colors of the knife’s handle.

He said today that he first saw the knife after Singler had fallen to the floor, when McCowan was holding the weapon loosely in his hand.

Chris Bergstrom, McCowan’s attorney, questioned the veracity of Aho’s claims, and wondered how he could identify the colors of the knife

Aho then backtracked and said he didn’t see the knife until after Singler had fallen to the floor and McCowan was holding the weapon loosely in his hands with only a few fingers.

McCowan’s trial resumes Thursday morning.

Check statenews.com and tomorrow’s print edition of The State News for more on this story.