Southwest
Texas jury returns verdict in 2022 stabbing death of high school classmate: report
A jury has decided the fate of a Texas teen who was charged with allegedly stabbing his high school classmate to death in a bathroom in 2022, finding him not guilty of murder and guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
After being unable to reach a verdict on Monday and tabling court till Tuesday, KWTX reported that a Bell County jury announced that they did not find Caysen Allison guilty of murder in the stabbing death of Joe Ramirez Jr. at Belton High School in May 2022.
The jury found Allison guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Allison was released under the conditions of his bond, the outlet reported, which will remain in place until his sentencing hearing on June 16, where he faces anywhere from six months to two years in a state prison, in addition to a possible fine of up to $10,000.
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOLER CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER STABBING CLASSMATE TO DEATH IN BATHROOM: POLICE
Bell County jury finds Caysen Allison not guilty of murder in death of Joe Ramirez. (Belton Police Department/GoFundMe/Joe Ramirez’s Funeral & Burial Expenses)
Allison had been out on bond, under house arrest, since July 2022 after a judge dropped his $1-million bond down to $175,000 in the stabbing death of Ramirez Jr., according to KWTX.
The Belton Police Department said that Allison ran away from the school after the stabbing in 2022, but was arrested 20 minutes later.
The fatal altercation happened during a fight in the school’s restroom, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KWTX.
The report stated that Allison waived his rights against self-incrimination and admitted to detectives he fatally stabbed Ramirez Jr.
TEEN SUSPECT FREE ON BOND AFTER ALLEGEDLY STABBING TEXAS TRACK STAR AUSTIN METCALF TO DEATH
Jose Luis Ramirez Jr. was fatally stabbed to death inside a bathroom at his Texas high school in May 2022, according to police. (Viktoria Ramirez Facebook)
Officers found Ramirez Jr. suffering from “large puncture wounds to his chest” and he was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
At the hospital, KTWX reported that officers noticed Ramirez sustained “multiple stab and slashes injuries along his chest, back, legs and arm.” He was later pronounced dead.
During previous testimony, one of Allison’s friends, Chris Bittle, described the events leading up to the fatal altercation and being in the school’s bathroom during the fight.
There was a heated argument between Allison and Ramirez at a prom night after party, according Bittle’s previous account. Text messages revealed that Allison sent a text to Bittle after that party asking, “bro, bring me a gun.”
Bittle also recalled what happened the day of the stabbing, explaining that while there was a plan for Allison and Ramirez to fight, they did not plan to fight in school and were surprised to bump into Ramirez and his friends in the school restroom, KTWX reported. Bittle testified he and Allison tried to leave after using the restroom, but Ramirez and his four friends wouldn’t let them.
SUSPECT IN AUSTIN METCALF KILLING MOVED TO ‘UNDISCLOSED LOCATION’ FOR PROTECTION: FAMILY SPOKESMAN
Caysen Allison found not guilty of murder, but guilty of a lesser charge, in the 2022 death of classmate Joe Ramirez (Belton Police Department)
Bittle also claimed he tried to step in once Ramirez punched Allison, but was hit by one of the other teens in the group, which cell phone video of the fight showed.
Allison’s defense argued he acted in self-defense in a “fight for his life” after he was attacked by Ramirez in the school’s bathroom.
Officers went to Allison’s home following the fight after he fled the scene, where officers overheard him speaking to someone on the phone saying “I did something at school,” and asking them to come and take him to Waco.
Detectives also snapped photos of Allison’s white shoes being covered in blood as he told investigators what kind of knife he used to kill Ramirez and where he had dumped the weapon.
Madison Barnes, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend and a close friend of Allison’s, testified that Allison made threats against Ramirez to her before the stabbing, according to KWTX. She also told the jury that Allison warned her that he “wanted Joe on life support, wanted to stomp his head in, wanted his jaw dangling from his face, and wanted him in the hospital.”
Ramirez Jr., a senior at the school, was described on a GoFundMe page raising money for his family as a “very kind, loving and gentle young man.”
Allison’s defense attorney, Zachary Boyd, told KWTX that he was happy with the jury’s decision in a very challenging case.
“The Allison family is so sorry for their loss, cause there is no good outcome to this. There is no happy ending in terms of everyone’s going to leave here feeling happy,” Boyd said.
“The world is not black and white. The world is shades of gray and, ultimately, we were left with the question of what do you do when the issue is one of bullying or one of a child who is so scared that he brings a knife to school to defend himself with?”
Nearly three years later, another Texas teen was violently killed while attending a high school track meet.
Karmelo Anthony, the 17-year-old accused of stabbing Frisco, Texas track star Austin Metcalf to death, was released from jail after his bond was dropped from $1 million to $250,000.
Like Allison, Anthony’s bond conditions include house arrest and an ankle monitor, and he will only be able to leave his home with the judge’s permission.
If convicted, Anthony cannot face the death penalty because he is a juvenile, thanks to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling in a case called Roper v. Simmons.
Fox News Digital reached out to Allison’s attorney for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Lorraine Taylor and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
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The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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