A Pine Valley man who fatally stabbed a neighbor with a 3-foot Samurai sword during an alcohol-fueled argument on the property where they both lived pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter.
Douglas Kell, 21, will be sentenced to six years in state prison at a hearing March 13.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 8000 block of Valley View Trail about 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2016, after a neighbor reported hearing loud noises and some sort of altercation coming from a nearby home.
When they arrived, deputies found the lifeless body of 28-year-old Donnie Chip lying in the yard of a home.
Prosecutors said Kell and Chip got into an argument that turned into a wrestling match.
Deputy District Attorney John Cross said it was unclear exactly what the two men were arguing about.
Chip was stabbed in the chest after Kell retrieved the Samurai sword from inside his house, the prosecutor said.
The victim and the defendant were not roommates but lived on the same property, Cross said.
— City News Service
