Brentwood Man Found Guilty Of Killing Roommate Over Stolen Beer
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PITTSBURGH (AP) - A Pennsylvania man accused of beating his roommate to death over stolen beer last year has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
A judge handed down the verdict Monday in the nonjury trial of 35-year-old Justin Vankirk.
Police said the Brentwood resident told investigators that he confronted his roommate, 58-year-old Charles Parker, about the Keystone Ice beer and fought with him, then left him lying on the floor and went to bed.
He said he returned home the next afternoon and found Parker not breathing. Vankirk's attorney conceded during a trial last week that her client punched Parker multiple times but said Parker's fatal head injury could have come from falling down while drunk - something she alleged he had a history of doing.
The judge says while Vankirk didn't mean to kill his longtime friend, his actions caused Parker's death.
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