Monday, October 27, 2008

Jurors acquit Seattle man of 2nd-degree murder

A Snohomish County jury has ruled that a former college student who fatally shot an 18-year-old Kirkland, Wash., man at a Halloween party in 2007 did not commit a crime.
EVERETT, Wash.

A Snohomish County jury has ruled that a former college student who fatally shot an 18-year-old Kirkland, Wash., man at a Halloween party in 2007 did not commit a crime.

But the jurors Monday also made clear they didn't believe the death of Chris Chandler was justified as an act of self defense.

The jury acquitted 23-year-old Bryce Dawson Fortier of Seattle of second-degree murder. It also rejected prosecutors' arguments that Chandler's killing may be manslaughter.

Chandler was shot once in the chest during an apparent struggle with Fortier at a Halloween party in 2007 in the Mill Creek, Wash., area. Fortier testified he shot Chandler out of fear for his life.

Fortier is a former a student at Central Washington University.

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Information from: The Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com

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