WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. -- Testimony continued Monday in the trial of Jean Pierre Orlewicz, accused in the so-called "thrill kill" slaying of Daniel Sorensen, with the defendant breaking down in tears for the first time since the trial began, but jailhouse tapes revealing a darker side to the defendant.

Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth Township is charged with first-degree murder and the dismemberment of Sorensen.

He took the stand and described how he killed Sorensen in an act that he's claiming as self-defense.

"I said, 'Dan, don't,' " Orlewicz testified. "And he looked at me from the corner of his eye and he straightened out his arm like he was going to shoot Alex right in the face and I kind of grabbed him with my left arm and stabbed him in the back at the same time."

Orlewicz was asked how he felt as he was killing Sorensen.

"I was freaking out when we first were doing it," Orlewicz said. "Then I just decided that if I didn't do something now that it would be too late later to try and do anything. So I just kind of, like, made a decision and went with it."

Family friend Janice Neal, testified first on behalf of Orlewicz. She called him a "warm and caring person." Orlewicz became very emotional during Neal's testimony as she described that he was a sweet kid who she considered a friend.

Orlewicz's father, William, also took the stand on Monday to talk about his son. He said he is not aggressive, he was never in trouble and overall a good kid. He said he was not aware that his son drank or used drugs.

"It seems so far out of character that it's hard to believe," said William Orlewicz about the allegations.

Prosecutor Robert Moran played several taped phone conversations from jail between Orlewicz and his father hoping to show the defendant had anger issues. Several times throughout the tape, Orlewicz swore excessively and became very angry at his parents and their choice for an attorney for him. Moran said the tapes showed Orlewicz did talk to his son about the case after his father had claimed he had not.

"I'm not even going to court if I don't have a 90 percent chance that I’m walking out of the courtroom. … What's the (expletive) point. There's no point."

School friends also testified on Monday about Orlewicz's MySpace page and the video games he played, including Grand Theft Auto.

Orlewicz took the stand around 2:15 p.m. on Monday and testified how he knew Daniel Sorensen. In his testimony he said, "He threatened me. He was going to kill my girlfriend, my brother and my family."

He described Sorensen as pushy and bossy. He said he thought Sorensen was part of organized crime. Orlewicz talked about how they lured Sorensen to his grandfather's house to extort money from another person and said he never intended to steal money or kill Sorensen.

Orlewicz told the court that Sorensen pulled a gun on him when he thought the plan had gone wrong. Orlewicz said he feared for his life and that is why he killed Sorensen.

He said he did not jump Sorensen from behind nor slash his throat as previous testimony showed.

Orlewicz said he thought Sorensen's family was going to come and kill him because "I just killed Dan," he told the court.

Orlewicz admitted to cutting Sorensen's body into several pieces after panicking. He also admitted during testimony that he burned his fingertips.

"I didn't want anyone to be able to ID him," Orlewicz said.

Alexander Letkemann's 'Thrill Kill' Testimony (Part 1)
More Letkemann Testimony
Friend Reveals 'Thrill Kill' Suspect's Character
Adam Dewey Testifies Against Friend In Thrill Kill Case

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