So, my interpretation so far after watching multiple analysis of the video and listening to the testimony, is that:
- One of the drunk teens taunted NM and asked him what he was doing. NM wouldn't reply. NM then approached the drunk teens and grabbed their tubes. They jumped up, concerned. And continued taunting him (calling him a perv/child rapist, etc.), asking him what he was doing and asking him to leave. He wouldn't reply. He continued to hang around them as he had now dropped his snorkel and mask, but they didn't know what he was doing.
- When NM didn't go away (although he did move away a bit) another group of adults (the "Carlson group") began to get involved. Two women came over and asked him to leave. NM didn't reply and didn't leave. NM pulled his knife out of his shorts while facing the two women who were 'in his face'. He kept the knife at his side. The women continued to yell at him to leave the area and then NM apparently punched one of the women in the face. This caused an immediate escalation as a couple of people moved in in response. They began to shove NM and knocked him down in the shallow water. He started stabbing people.
So, why didn't NM simply leave the area and go back to his group after multiple people asked him multiple times? He chose to stay. He put himself in that position.
He had pulled his knife out of his pocket well before he was 'cornered'. I believe that the taunting got to him and he had no intention of standing down. He was itching for a fight by that time.
Clearly some of the teens acted terribly....they were bullies with their taunting. But a 50-something man should have recognized it for what it was and yet he would not disengage (even though he wasn't talking, which was part of the problem!) and simply move on. His ego got in the way.
I think NM will be convicted of manslaughter. I don't think they will get a first degree conviction since he didn't start slashing until the bigger group started to shove him.
This all could have been avoided if he had simply moved away as requested by multiple people, many times.
ETA: of course I reserve the right to change my opinion based on further evidence at the trial!