PORT ANGELES — A Clallam County jury Wednesday found Casey Joseph Balch not guilty of murder or manslaughter in the June 2012 death of Donald Knechtel.
Balch, 23, wept in the arms of defense attorney Karen Unger as Clallam County Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer read not-guilty verdicts to charges of second-degree murder and first- and second-degree manslaughter in an emotionally charged courtroom.
Balch, who posted $50,000 bail after his arrest, faced maximum sentences of life imprisonment if he had been found guilty of either second-degree felony murder or first-degree manslaughter.
Knechtel, 48, of Marysville, died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle about a week after he was punched in the face and subsequently fractured his skull as he fell to the ground in the parking lot of the Front Street Alibi bar in Port Angeles.
Balch admitted that he had punched Knechtel but maintained that he did not intend to kill him.
Unger argued that her client struck Knechtel in self-defense after Knechtel’s friend, Clint Crook of Bothell, put her client in a headlock.
All three had been drinking before the fight occurred around 11 p.m. June 1, 2012.
3 hours of deliberation
The nine-woman, three-man jury reached the verdict after about three hours of deliberations Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.
Nearly a dozen Knechtel supporters, many of whom wept as the verdicts were read, left the courtroom before Unger and Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy John Troberg delivered arguments in a civil matter to determine whether the state would reimburse Balch for attorney fees.
Balch hugged and thanked his supporters before the jury was called back to hear arguments on whether he used “lawful force” as a means of self-defense.
The jury ultimately determined that Balch acted in self-defense, and his attorney fees will be paid by the state.
“It was a very wonderful result,” Unger said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.