Manslaughter For Hunter in Deer Stand Dispute

whitetail deer huntingA Breezy Point, Minn., man was convicted  of second-degree manslaughter in the death of a man he knocked from a tree stand during a hunting dispute in Clearwater County in 2010.

Kevin Thomas McCormick, 53, was found guilty in state district court in Bagley, Minn., after a five-day trial.

According to court documents, McCormick argued with Jerry Benedict, 64, over the placement of Benedict’s tree stand, which McCormick believed was on his land in southern Clearwater County, near Itasca State Park and the White Earth Indian Reservation.

On Nov. 6, 2010, McCormick knocked Benedict from the stand, which was set up 12 feet above ground. Benedict was airlifted to a Fargo hospital the next day, suffering from broken vertebrae and abdominal bleeding. McCormick was charged with assault in the case.

When Benedict died of his internal injuries Nov. 24, McCormick was charged with manslaughter.

Read the full Grand Forks Herald story here.

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