A jury has decided the fate of a Texas teen who was charged with allegedly stabbing his high school classmate to death in a bathroom in 2022, finding him not guilty of murder and guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
After being unable to reach a verdict on Monday and tabling court till Tuesday, KWTX reported that a Bell County jury announced that they did not find Caysen Allison guilty of murder in the stabbing death of Joe Ramirez Jr. at Belton High School in May 2022.
The jury found Allison guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Allison was released under the conditions of his bond, the outlet reported, which will remain in place until his sentencing hearing on June 16, where he faces anywhere from six months to two years in a state prison, in addition to a possible fine of up to $10,000.
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Allison had been out on bond, under house arrest, since July 2022 after a judge dropped his $1-million bond down to $175,000 in the stabbing death of Ramirez Jr., according to KWTX.
The Belton Police Department said that Allison ran away from the school after the stabbing in 2022, but was arrested 20 minutes later.
The fatal altercation happened during a fight in the school’s restroom, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KWTX.
The report stated that Allison waived his rights against self-incrimination and admitted to detectives he fatally stabbed Ramirez Jr.
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Officers found Ramirez Jr. suffering from “large puncture wounds to his chest” and he was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
At the hospital, KTWX reported that officers noticed Ramirez sustained “multiple stab and slashes injuries along his chest, back, legs and arm.” He was later pronounced dead.
During previous testimony, one of Allison’s friends, Chris Bittle, described the events leading up to the fatal altercation and being in the school’s bathroom during the fight.
There was a heated argument between Allison and Ramirez at a prom night after party, according Bittle’s previous account. Text messages revealed that Allison sent a text to Bittle after that party asking, “bro, bring me a gun.”
Bittle also recalled what happened the day of the stabbing, explaining that while there was a plan for Allison and Ramirez to fight, they did not plan to fight in school and were surprised to bump into Ramirez and his friends in the school restroom, KTWX reported. Bittle testified he and Allison tried to leave after using the restroom, but Ramirez and his four friends wouldn’t let them.
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Bittle also claimed he tried to step in once Ramirez punched Allison, but was hit by one of the other teens in the group, which cell phone video of the fight showed.
Allison’s defense argued he acted in self-defense in a “fight for his life” after he was attacked by Ramirez in the school’s bathroom.
Officers went to Allison’s home following the fight after he fled the scene, where officers overheard him speaking to someone on the phone saying “I did something at school,” and asking them to come and take him to Waco.
Detectives also snapped photos of Allison’s white shoes being covered in blood as he told investigators what kind of knife he used to kill Ramirez and where he had dumped the weapon.
Madison Barnes, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend and a close friend of Allison’s, testified that Allison made threats against Ramirez to her before the stabbing, according to KWTX. She also told the jury that Allison warned her that he “wanted Joe on life support, wanted to stomp his head in, wanted his jaw dangling from his face, and wanted him in the hospital.”
Ramirez Jr., a senior at the school, was described on a GoFundMe page raising money for his family as a “very kind, loving and gentle young man.”
Allison’s defense attorney, Zachary Boyd, told KWTX that he was happy with the jury’s decision in a very challenging case.
“The Allison family is so sorry for their loss, cause there is no good outcome to this. There is no happy ending in terms of everyone’s going to leave here feeling happy,” Boyd said.
“The world is not black and white. The world is shades of gray and, ultimately, we were left with the question of what do you do when the issue is one of bullying or one of a child who is so scared that he brings a knife to school to defend himself with?”
Nearly three years later, another Texas teen was violently killed while attending a high school track meet.
Karmelo Anthony, the 17-year-old accused of stabbing Frisco, Texas track star Austin Metcalf to death, was released from jail after his bond was dropped from $1 million to $250,000.
Like Allison, Anthony’s bond conditions include house arrest and an ankle monitor, and he will only be able to leave his home with the judge’s permission.
If convicted, Anthony cannot face the death penalty because he is a juvenile, thanks to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling in a case called Roper v. Simmons.
Fox News Digital reached out to Allison’s attorney for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Lorraine Taylor and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
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