Mr McConnachie said: “You will see that various charges don’t take place on the same day and it is over a period of time.
“There is a significant background between my client and the deceased about a variety of matters.”
The 15-year-old boy also faces an accusation of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
It is claimed he discarded a sword and dumped tracksuit bottoms and a bloodstained top he had been wearing.
Court papers state this was all done in a bid to avoid “detection, arrest and prosecution”.
A memorial service was held for Amen in Glasgow’s Kinning Park Parish Church after his death, with his body flown to Ethiopia for a full funeral.
Lord Scott fixed a trial date of June 2026.