San Marcos
An 18-year-old San Marcos man was found guilty Thursday of involuntary manslaughter in the beating death of a Vista teen-ager in the parking lot of a convenience store.
Superior Court Judge William Kennedy allowed Matthew S. Hall to remain free on his own recognizance until he is sentenced June 20.
A San Diego County Superior Court jury returned the verdict just before noon, completing a day of deliberations that began Wednesday.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Frank Brown said he asked jurors to return an involuntary manslaughter conviction against Hall instead of second-degree murder as charged. Brown said involuntary manslaughter and assault with great bodily injury better fit the crime.
“The jurors were not happy with that verdict, but they felt they had to follow the law,†Brown said.
According to evidence presented during the hearing, Hall punched Sean Leon Trudeau, an 18-year-old former San Marcos High School student, in an apparently unprovoked attack outside a San Marcos convenience store Sept. 4.
An autopsy concluded that Trudeau’s heart had stopped due to a combination of injuries caused by blunt force.
Hall was initially charged with the crime as a juvenile because he was 17 when the death occurred. The case was transferred to adult court in January.
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