A teenager from Syracuse has been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of another man, but the charges he is facing do not pertain to murder. This man's story is a testament to how a good criminal defense attorney can look at the facts and then present a client's case in the hopes of securing a just sentence that fits the crime.

The young man has been accused of stabbing a 20-year-old man once in the chest during a fight on June 26. The 20-year-old man died in a hospital about 30 minutes after the altercation was reported to police.

The 17-year-old was first accused of second-degree murder based on prosecutors' theory that the location and force of the stab wound indicated he intended to kill the 20-year-old man.

However, a grand jury recently indicted the 17-year-old for manslaughter because they believed that the 17-year-old only intended to injure the 20-year-old and did not actually mean to bring about his death.

The man could be looking at 25 years in state prison if he is found guilty. Obviously, that is still a lengthy and serious sentence, but it would have been worse had he been indicted on murder charges because murder carries a more serious penalty with conviction than does manslaughter.

 That this man was charged with a crime that fits the actions he allegedly committed, rather than a more serious crime not supported by the facts, is an example of our criminal justice system at work.

Source: The Syracuse Post-Standard, "Syracuse man indicted on manslaughter charge in fatal stabbing," Jim O'Hara, Feb. 9, 2012