Prosecutors began building their case against a Brevard County man accused of killing a teenager over loud music on Thursday.

Opening statements took place in Jacksonville for Michael Dunn's murder retrial, where prosecutors brought out many of the same arguments they made, during Dunn's first murder trial eight months ago.

Assistant State Attorney John Guy told jurors that argument on the night of November 23, 2012 was about a kid being a kid, refusing to turn down his music, and an adult refusing to walk away, and pulling out a gun instead.

“He did the best he could to save his own life. He shut his mouth and he cowered away from the gun,” said Guy.

With the advantage having Michael Dunn's testimony from the original trial, the prosecutor went to great lengths to stress who the aggressor was in that confrontation, and that there was only one firearm that night.

“They found clothes. They found sneakers. They found drink cups. No weapons. Nothing resembling a weapon,” added Guy.

Dunn's attorney, Waffa Hanania, stood by self-defense claims.

“Mr. Dunn acted to defend his life from a real threat or what he perceived to be a real threat at that time and in those circumstances,” Hanania said to the jury.

Hananai is Dunn's new attorney, but set out a similar defense as in the first trial. He says it was Jordan Davis who escalated events that night.

“'I should kill you right now' that's the testimony you'll hear from the stand that came out of Jordan Davis' mouth. He took it up another notch when he brandished a shotgun or something that looked very much like one,” said Hananai to the court.

And that's where this defense strategy differs from the first trial; maybe there wasn't a shotgun, but there was something that looked like one when Michael Dunn fired the first three shots into a red Dodge Durango, killing Jordan Davis.

The first witnesses called to the stand testified they never saw Michael Dunn return to the scene.

The judge in the case says he expects the retrial to take about two weeks.