PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A Rhode Island man who said he acted in self-defense when he fatally stabbed another man who had insulted his girlfriend on social media has been convicted of manslaughter.
James Stevens, of East Providence, was convicted Monday by a jury that rejected the prosecution’s claim that the December 2016 killing was a case of first-degree murder, but also rejected Stevens’ self-defense argument.
The 31-year-old Stevens took the stand in his own defense to say he went to 24-year-old Jasper Williams’ apartment to “talk” to him and that Williams threw the first punch and then pulled a knife. Stevens says he didn’t realize he had wrested the knife away when he struck back several times. Prosecutors say the victim was stabbed 18 times.
Sentencing will be held at a future date.
