Ronald Gasser, the man accused of killing former NFL running back Joe McKnight in a December 2016 road-rage incident, was found guilty of manslaughter Friday after a Jefferson Parish jury heard closing arguments.
After deliberating for more than seven hours, jurors voted 10-2 for conviction. Gasser, 56, will be sentenced March 15 and faces up to 40 years in prison. McKnight's sister, Johanna, was in the courtroom and began crying when the verdict was announced, per the New Orleans Advocate.
Gasser faced second-degree murder charges after he allegedly shot McKnight three times with a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the Terrytown suburb of New Orleans.
Authorities say Gasser followed McKnight after McKnight allegedly cut him off near the Crescent City Connection. Once McKnight stopped, he got out of his car and approached Gasser's vehicle when Gasser allegedly shot him. Gasser was initially detained but not formally arrested until four days later on Dec. 5, a delay that prompted protests in the parish.
Jurors in Ronald Gasser murder trial just left JPSO crime lab where they viewed Gasser's car. pic.twitter.com/BID877J6G0
— Michelle Hunter NOLA (@MichelleHunter) January 25, 2018
Gasser, pleaded not guilty and claimed self-defense, but the prosecution argued Gasser could not legally say he was shooting in self-defense if he was going back and forth with McKnight.
"Ronald Gasser lured him out of his car and shot him," prosecutor Seth Shute said Friday.
Prosecutor Shannon Swaim added: "If he didn’t follow Mr. McKnight we wouldn’t be here today."
The jury spent over seven hours deliberating Friday because they wanted clarification on the legal definition of aggressor as well as principles dealing with the so-called 'stand your ground' law/justifiable homicide.
McKnight, who was 28 at the time of his death, spent four seasons in the NFL with the Jets and Chiefs after a standout college career at USC.