Degree of guilt debated at trial over fatal Erie stabbing in 2019
Defense contended defendant acted in a rage and is guilty of third-degree murder or manslaughter Jury deliberations started on Wednesday afternoon with verdict Thursday afternoon A jury had to decide two basic questions as it deliberated over the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old Erie woman in May 2019. Did the defendant, Kevin G. Hicks-Franklin, 23, intend to kill the victim, Starleisha Smith, the best friend of his girlfriend, making Hicks-Franklin guilty of first-degree murder? Or did Hicks-Franklin kill Smith in a rage because his girlfriend was breaking up with him, and he never forme...
Source: goerie.com