Evansville man accused of fatal stabbing accepts plea deal
EVANSVILLE — The man accused of fatally stabbing 42-year-old Jermon Weathers during an October altercation on Evansville's West Side struck a plea deal with Vanderburgh County prosecutors last week, nixing the prospect of a jury trial that had been scheduled to begin in March.
Zachary Lee Page, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony, and will no longer face a felony murder charge in connection with Weathers' killing, according to a copy of the plea agreement.
Under Indiana law, voluntary manslaughter occurs when a person "knowingly" or "intentionally" kills another person in "sudden heat," a term which means the person acted out of anger, rage or another emotion that could cloud one's ability to think logically.
According to the Evansville Police Department, Page stabbed Weathers Oct. 7 following an argument. Detectives said Weathers was unarmed.
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Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Bober will dismiss the murder charge filed against Page during his sentencing hearing, the plea agreement states.
Evansville police arrested Page shortly after officers found Weathers unconscious and bleeding inside an apartment in the 1200 block of Park Street, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by EPD Detective Quinton Keil. Doctors at Deaconess Midtown Hospital later pronounced Weathers dead.
An autopsy conducted by the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office determined Weathers died from a single stab wound.
Page was apprehended near North Fulton Avenue and West Florida Street at the direction of a witness who said they saw Page stab Weathers, according to the affidavit. Responding officers said they saw blood stains on Page's clothes; an EPD K-9 officer found a bloody knife near the crime scene.
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Page reportedly told detectives he stabbed Page in self-defense, a claim Keil said did not match the evidence recovered from the crime scene.
"Zach told me Jermon pointed a gun at him," Keil wrote in the affidavit. "Zach could only tell me the firearm was black."
Despite executing two judicially authorized search warrants at the apartment and a nearby storage unit, the EPD said it failed to recover any evidence that could corroborate Page's claim that he acted in self-defense.
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"Notably, no firearms were found or recovered on the scene or inside the apartment," Keil wrote.
Witnesses, including Page's girlfriend, also told police they never observed Weathers holding a firearm, nor had they seen any inside the home, according to the affidavit.
Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Wayne S. Trockman is scheduled to sentence Page on March 14. State sentencing guidelines, which are advisory and not legally binding, recommend those convicted of voluntary manslaughter be sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in prison.
Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Zachary Lee Page pleads guilty to manslaughter for October killing
