FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – The man accused of stabbing a Hopewell chef to death at a Wedding last year was found not guilty of murder on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post.
Kempton A. Bonds, 20, was on trial for the August 6, 2016 stabbing death of 35-year-old Tyonne “Chef Ty” Johns, of Hopewell.
The incident happened after a verbal dispute over chairs between Johns, a caterer for the event, and Bonds, a former Fairfax County parks employee.
The altercation ended with Bonds stabbing Johns twice with a pocket knife. Johns was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Kempton A. Bonds
During the trial, Bonds testified that Johns was the aggressor and he acted in self-defense, the Post reports.
“I couldn’t breathe and she was strangling me,” Bonds testified. “I tried to push her off me, but she wouldn’t let go.”
Wednesday’s verdict comes after the first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this summer, after jurors could not reach a unanimous decision.
