CANTERBURY, England — The trial of a 32-year-old Lithuanian man accused by authorities of murdering his girlfriend and terrorizing a supermarket began Wednesday.

Tomas Uptas is standing trial for the murder of Loreta Raupienė, 46 of Canterbury and also a Lithuanian national. Prosecutors allege that on Nov. 26, 2009 Uptas strangled Raupienė to death in their home, where they had been living for several months and then went to a nearby supermarket and began aiming a pistol at random passer-bys.

After he refused to put the gun down when instructed to do so by police and instead pointed the gun directly at them, Uptas was shot by a police officer. Uptas was intoxicated at the time.

Uptas is maintaining his innocence.

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