ALBANY – After a reversal over a judge’s mistake, an Albany man’s sentence for manslaughter was reduced from 25 years to 15 years.
In 2017, a jury convicted Stephan Harris, 27, of manslaughter, a felony. He was accused of fatally stabbing Jonathan Weldon, 26, during a fight over a dice game bet. He said Weldon punched him and that he picked up Weldon’s knife and swung it in a circle. Prosecutors said he stabbed Weldon twice, intentionally, once in the shoulder and once in the stomach.
In the first case, the judge did not tell the jury that if they decided Harris was not guilty of murder because he acted in self-defense, they should not consider lesser counts like manslaughter. The jury decided he was guilty of manslaughter and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
After the reversal, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison. He had been serving his sentence at Five Points Correctional Facility in Seneca County.
Read the full article here