Jury acquits man charged with stabbing neighbor to death in 2013

Jury acquits man charged with stabbing neighbor to death in 2013

(Salt Lake County Jail)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A jury Wednesday acquitted a South Salt Lake man who was accused of stabbing his neighbor to death three years ago.

Ansumana "Nick" Jadama, 24, was found not guilty of the murder and aggravated burglary of his neighbor, 48-year-old Rickey Magnuson, on Sept. 25, 2013. Both charges were first-degree felonies carrying potential penalties of 15 years to life in prison.

Jadama's attorney, Rudy Bautista, argued during the three-day trial that his client was acting in self-defense and that the case, which lacked forensic evidence, came down to one man's word against another's.

"When it came down to it, I said we had two completely different stories, and we didn't have any evidence to prove one way or the other," Bautista said.

According to police, Jadama knocked on Magnuson's door, 415 E. 3400 South, then, without saying a word, stabbed his neighbor when he answered. The knife blade was still embedded in the victim's stomach when emergency crews arrived, charges state.

Magnuson was taken to a local hospital, where he later died. His partner recognized Jadama and identified him to police, who later arrested him. A knife handle was recovered in Jadama's apartment, according to investigators.

However, Jadama testified at trial that the two men had encountered each other on the porch outside their homes, exchanged slurs and began to struggle, Bautista said.

During the argument, Jadama said Magnuson produced a steak knife, and Bautista argued it was plausible Magnuson impaled himself when the two grappled over it.

The knife blade was snapped cleanly from the handle, Bautista said, and no traces of blood were found on the handle or Jadama's hands. His fingerprints and DNA were not found on the handle either, the defense attorney noted.

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Bautista also pointed to the fact that Magnuson had methamphetamine in his system at the time of this death and that drug use may have fueled his attack against Jadama.

The jury deliberated about 2 ½ hours before acquitting Jadama.

Bautista said Jadama, who will now be released from jail, will live with his mother and is anxious to resume his life.

"He thanked me for saving his life. Those were his words," Bautista said.

Jadama was found mentally competent to face the charges in October 2015.

Bautista said Jadama's mental health concerns were not found to be relevant to the case and were not presented at trial. Upon his release, Jadama will continue receiving mental health care, his attorney said.

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McKenzie Romero

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