Defense contended defendant acted in a rage and is guilty of third-degree murder or manslaughter
Jury deliberations started on Wednesday afternoon with verdict Thursday afternoon
A jury had to decide two basic questions as it deliberated over the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old Erie woman in May 2019.
Did the defendant, Kevin G. Hicks-Franklin, 23, intend to kill the victim, Starleisha Smith, the best friend of his girlfriend, making Hicks-Franklin guilty of first-degree murder?
Or did Hicks-Franklin kill Smith in a rage because his girlfriend was breaking up with him, and he never formed the level of intent necessary for the prosecution to prove a premeditated slaying?