The lawyer for accused killer Jacob Le told a state jury Friday morning that someone else fatally stabbed Brent Kanae in a stairwell at Ala Moana Center last October.

Deputy State Public Defender Lee Hayakawa said Honolulu police tricked Le, 27, into making a false confession and failed to follow up on other leads.

"The killer is still out there. Jacob Le did not kill Brent Kanae," Hayakawa said.

Le and Kanae, 23, were neighbors, best friends and members of the same hip-hop, break dancing group. Le even performed a dance at Kanae’s funeral in tribute to his friend before police said he confessed to the killing.