A jury in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana on Friday found Ronald Gasser guilty of manslaughter for the shooting death of former NFL running back Joe McKnight.
Joe McKnight’s shooter found guilty of manslaughter
McKnight was killed in December 2016.
Photo by Larry French/Getty Images
The jury deliberated for over seven hours on Friday after hearing six days of testimony during the trial, per the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Gasser shot and killed McKnight — the former Louisiana high school standout and USC running back who played four years in the NFL with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs — on Dec. 1, 2016 after a traffic confrontation.
More from the Times-Picayune:
Gasser never disputed that he shot McKnight on Dec. 1, 2016. However, he said it was in self-defense, that McKnight was attempting to get inside his vehicle and that he feared for his life.
Gasser, who pleaded not guilty, told detectives in three separate statements that McKnight made an aggressive movement, a lunge, with his head, hands and upper torso coming into the vehicle.
Jurors were given four options from 24th Judicial District Judge Ellen Shirer Kovach per the Times-Picuyane. Had Gasser been convicted of second-degree murder he would have received an automatic life sentence. The New Orleans Advocate explained the circumstances that led to the reduced charge of manslaughter:
Manslaughter, under the law, is a homicide that would ordinarily be second-degree murder but that was committed in the heat of passion immediately after a provocation that would cause an ordinary person to lose self-control.
Manslaughter carries a maximum prison sentence of 40 years.
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