An Oakland County jury seated to hear the case of a man accused of killing his stepfather and injuring his mother during a fight over video game playing was unexpectedly dismissed on the second day of trial after a plea deal was reached.
On Oct. 4, Christopher McKinney, 30, pleaded no contest to reduced charges of second-degree murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder for a Dec. 11, 2020 incident at his parents’ home in Madison Heights that resulted in the death of Raymond Mancini, 71, and injury to McKinney’s mother. He had been charged with first-degree murder and assault with intent to murder.
Two additional counts of resisting/obstructing a police officer remain, and are part of the no contest plea.
The deal with prosecutors is a Killebrew Agreement which allows the plea to be withdrawn if the judge imposes a sentence greater than what prosecutors offered. McKinney is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 15 by Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews.
The case against McKinney stems from a fight that broke out between him, his mother and Mancini after they told him to leave their bedroom where he was playing video games, according to police. It’s alleged that after McKinney struck them both, Mancini tried to defend himself with a knife but McKinney got hold of it and stabbed the couple. Mancini died four days later.
“The plea allows this entire family to start the healing process,” defense attorney Paulette Loftin told The Oakland Press. “It was a difficult decision for the defendant but it was a positive resolution for everyone involved.”
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2022/10/05/testimony-accused-killer-of-former-pro-poker-player-burned-alive-searched-internet-2000-times-for-violent-sex-other-assault/
