Airbnb host jailed for killing man over unpaid bills

An Airbnb host in Australia has been jailed for 11 years for killing a guest who could not afford to pay.

A jury convicted Jason Colton, 42, of 2017 killing of Ramis Jonuzi. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder.

A court heard two housemates had held the 36-year-old down, while Colton beat and strangled him for not paying the A$210 ($149) he owed.

A judge described the attack as "cowardly, vicious and unprovoked".

Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said Colton instigated the violence.

"You lunged at him, grabbed him by the collar, spun him around, and threw him against the wall," Hollingworth said.

He will be eligible for parole in eight years.

Airbnb had previously said it was "deeply saddened and outraged" by the case, and that it had removed the listing from its site.

Januzi, a 36-year-old bricklayer, had packed his bags and was about to leave the home when he was attacked.

During the trial in March, the Supreme Court of Victoria heard that Januzi had rented the room in Brighton East, a suburb in Melbourne, to have a cheap and stable place to stay while he dealt with "personal issues".

The bricklayer first rented the room for three nights from the three men - Colton, landlord Craig Levy, and housemate Ryan Smart - before asking to extend his stay by a week for A$210.

However, when check-out day arrived, he had less than A$10 in his account and was unable to pay the bill.

Justice Hollingworth said Colton instigated the "brutal and one-sided" attack and later downplayed his actions amid other lies he told police.

"Even after you were aware that he had died, you called Jonuzi a scumbag, a piece of trash, a junkie, someone who deserved everything he got," she said.

Prosecutors told the court that Colton beat his guest until he lost consciousness. The housemates then dragged him out in the garden where they continued the attack.

Colton had said he only wanted to cause Jonuzi to pass out, not kill or seriously injure him.

Both Levy and Smart pleaded guilty to manslaughter in September last year. Smart received a nine-year jail sentence, while Levy was sentenced to seven and a half years.