Man found guilty in 2015 fatal stabbing in Daleville

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) – A 48-year-old man has been found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in a fatal stabbing last year in Daleville.

Juan Hernandez was also found guilty Thursday of battery with a deadly weapon. The (Muncie) Star Press reports the jury deliberated for more than seven hours.

Hernandez was accused of killing 55-year-old Mark Hittson on Jan. 13, 2015, at a truck terminal. The battery charge stemmed from hand cuts suffered by Hittson’s wife as she tried to defend her husband. She is also Hernandez’s ex-girlfriend.

Hernandez told the jury that Hittson attacked him after threatening to kill him, and that Hittson’s wife repeatedly told him that Hittson was carrying a gun. No gun was found after he was killed.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 15.