Stabbing Just to Hurt

Date of incident: May 19, 2008

People of Interest:


From left to right: Friend1, Defendant, Friend2

Description:

Defendant and his friends went to a local bar in Town, Ohio, to watch a heavyweight title fight. The crowd at the bar was very loud and rowdy, in part because they were drinking, and because everyone was anxious about the fight. While excitedly cheering for the contender, Defendant accidentally bumped into one of the champion’s fans, Fan, and knocked him down. Fan got up and punched Defendant in the face, breaking Defendant’s nose.

Defendant and his friends immediately left the bar and went to Bully’s house. Defendant and his friends told Bully what happened at the bar, and Bully became angry about it. Bully decided to go down to the bar alone and “get” Fan for what Fan did to Defendant. Bully thought that without Defendant accompanying him, Fan wouldn’t suspect a reprisal.

Bully told Defendant and his friends he would sneak up on Fan and stab him in the back, just to hurt him; all he needed Defendant to do was give him a knife and a description of Fan. Everyone agreed to what Bully proposed, so Defendant handed Bully a knife and joined his friends in giving Bully a description of Fan. Defendant and his friends stayed at the house when Bully left to go find Fan.

Cell phone footage of Bully running into the night.


Bully went into the bar just as the heavyweight fight was ending. He walked up behind Victim, a man who Bully mistakenly believed was Fan. Bully stabbed Victim in the back with the knife Defendant had given him and fled the bar. Shortly thereafter, Victim died as a proximate cause of the knife wound. Bully immediately left town and has not been seen since.

Defendant was arrested and charged with complicity in the premeditated murder of Victim. Defendant’s friends were also arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit the premeditated murder of Victim.

Crimes Committed: