Grand Rapids Woman Who Stabbed Boyfriend Convicted of Manslaughter

A Grand Rapids woman who admitted to stabbing her boyfriend after he allegedly physically abused her was convicted of voluntary manslaughter on Tuesday, MLive reports.

Kenyia Townsend admitted to killing the man, Rasheed “Rocky” Bryant, after an alleged history of domestic abuse including kicking, slapping and biting. Townsend said she warned Bryant on May 27 not to touch her, and that he continued to abuse her. Townsend said she then grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him in the heart.

Townsend was sentenced to four to 15 years in prison, and said at her sentencing in Kent County Circuit Court that others in abusive relationships should use her situation as an example of what to avoid.

“You need to find a way out and stay out, whatever it takes,” Townsend said, according to MLive. “If you don’t believe me, just look at my situation.”

Police described the suspect as “hysterical” when they arrived on the scene, saying she was trying to apply pressure to the wound. Townsend later cried in court while recounting the history of alleged abuse, and the jury heard from Bryant’s parole officer who was assigned after a history of convicted domestic abuse.

Townsend had also been charged with second-degree murder, but the jury found her not guilty on that count.

Read the full story at MLive.

Photo via @GRPBarton on Twitter