Sonoma County Man Sentenced To Prison For Fatally Stabbing Acquaintance

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- A Windsor man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for fatally stabbing a Santa Rosa man in 2015.

The sentencing was handed down Monday, April 3 by a Sonoma County judge.

Kahlil Rahim Keith, 37, was convicted on May 11, 2016 of the voluntary manslaughter of Willie Ray Smith, 47, outside a transitional housing residence on May 15, 2015.

Smith and Keith knew each other from living on the streets, and Smith invited Keith to spend the night at his Santa Rosa residence, Sonoma County prosecutors said. The two men got into an argument early in the morning when Keith rejected Smith's sex proposition, according to testimony at Keith's trial.

The defense had argued Keith defended himself and stabbed an intoxicated Smith in the chest when Smith followed Keith outside.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Anne Masterson sought a second-degree murder conviction.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock