Man gets 6 months in jail after victim stabbed in heart
A 49-year-old man was sentenced to six months in jail by a Lane County Circuit Court Judge on Tuesday after pleading guilty to an assault charge related to the October 2023 stabbing death of a man in Springfield.
Christopher Brown, 49, was charged in October with first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon following the death of Rowdey Schmit on Oct. 5 in Springfield.
Victim stabbed in the heart
According to court documents, Brown and the victim got into an argument at a home near Harbor Drive and Inland Way after the victim insulted Brown's girlfriend.
Witnesses told police a fight ensued. Both Brown and the victim were striking each other with long boards that were lying in the front yard of the home. At one point, Brown took the victim to the ground.
Witnesses heard the victim say, "He poked me," and heard Brown say, "I stabbed him,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The victim then retreated into the home and sat down on a couch, according to court documents.
As Brown and his girlfriend were leaving the scene, witnesses said Brown told them they had stolen the victim's stuff and were going to find the hotel room the victim had rented to steal his Fentanyl and money.
The victim, Schmit, was later found dead on the floor the next morning by the homeowner.
An autopsy later performed by a Forensic Pathologist on Oct. 6 ruled Schmit's cause of death was a stab wound to the heart and the manner of death was homicide.
Plea deal and sentencing
On Tuesday, Brown filed a plea petition with the court where he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and requested the first-degree manslaughter charge be dismissed.
According to the plea documents, Brown "unlawfully and recklessly caused physical injury to Rowdey Schmit by means of wooden door trim, a dangerous weapon, under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life."
Lane County Circuit Court Judge Charles Zennaché accepted the plea deal and sentenced Brown to six months in jail and a year of supervised release.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Man sentenced to six months for Springfield stabbing death
