GRETNA, La. — A jury has found Ronald Gasser guilty of manslaughter in the road rage shooting death of Joe McKnight.
The verdict, announced Friday night in a Gretna courtroom, marks the end of a week-long trial and roughly eight hours of jury deliberations.
Gasser was charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of McKnight, a John Curtis standout and former NFL player. He faces up to 40 years in prison for the manslaughter conviction.
He was arrested on a manslaughter charge Dec. 5, 2016, a few days after shooting, and charged with killing McKnight at a busy intersection in Terrytown following a road rage incident. He was later indicted on a second-degree murder charge.
Attorneys on both sides spent the week trying to convince the jury of which person — Gasser or McKnight — was the aggressor.
During the first three hours of deliberations, jurors asked the judge to define justifiable homicide, clarify “stand your ground” law, and define what it means to be an aggressor.
Check back for updates on this developing story.