HERRIMAN, Utah (AP) - A man accused of manslaughter in the death of his sister’s boyfriend has been found not guilty.
A jury in Herriman, Utah issued its verdict Thursday in the case of 26-year-old Cole Pedersen following a four-day trial.
The Deseret News reports (https://bit.ly/2f1S68F ) that prosecutors said Pedersen took things too far when he repeatedly punched Blake Burningham in August 2015 after his sister called him about a fight she had with Burningham. They allege the final, lethal blow was a punch Pedersen threw after Burningham was passed out.
Pedersen’s attorneys countered that he was acting in self-defense and only intended to talk to Burningham the day of the incident. They said the death was an unforeseeable accident.
Prosecutors acknowledged that Pedersen didn’t set out to kill Buringham, but said his out-of-control actions were still criminal.
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Information from: Deseret News, https://www.deseretnews.com
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