Republic man gets life sentence for 2017 stabbing

After nearly four years of delays, the court sentenced a Republic man Friday afternoon to life in prison for the 2017 murder of Bill Dauzat.

Christopher Manuel, 39 of Republic, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty last November in a bench trial with Judge Calvin Holden of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. In addition to the life sentence, Manuel was also sentenced to 20 years for the armed criminal action to run concurrently (at the same time) to the life sentence.

According to court documents, Manuel stabbed Dauzat at least seven times in September of 2017 outside of Dauzat's home in the 300 block of South Main Street.

Manuel allegedly believed that Dauzat was a part of a sex trafficking ring and claimed that he was acting in self-defense after Dauzat attacked him. However, Judge Holden said in his ruling that there wasn't enough evidence to support the self-defense argument.

While still getting the life sentence they requested, prosecutors had also asked for a 100-year sentence for the armed criminal action conviction to run consecutively to the life sentence.

"I know this is an unusual and extreme request," Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Harrel said. "I believe in my entire career there has been one other case where I have asked for an armed criminal action count to run consecutively to the underlying crime."

Harrel said the unusual request was due to the severe nature of the crime, Manuel's lack of remorse and the danger the state believed Manuel still posed to the community.

"I think given the nature of what we are looking at and the danger that the defendant represents to the community that this is an appropriate time to deliver this type of sentence," he said. "This was a brutal, prolonged essentially assassination of Billy Dauzant."

To further demonstrate this point, prosecutors also played recordings of phone calls from jail where Manuel said although what he did was wrong he would "do it again."

"There is no way to stop someone who said they would kill again, who shows absolutely no remorse and who seems to be acting on the whim of a random delusion, besides incarceration," Harrel said.

Manuel's attorney, Sarah Johnson, on the other hand, asked for a 15-year sentence on second-degree murder and an additional three years for armed criminal action, citing Manuel's mental health problems — which include PTSD from military service and unresolved trauma as a result of childhood abuse. These issues coupled with Manuel's human trafficking delusion caused delays throughout the entire legal process.

"We all are the product of our upbringing," Johnson said. "I don't believe incarceration with the Department of Corrections is the answer."

Johnson also discussed the actions of the victim, bringing up his use and selling of methamphetamine and an ex-parte protection order his wife had taken out against him.

"The only reason I bring any of this to the court's attention is not to trash the victim, but is to put it in context," she said.

However, Harrel argued that it didn't matter what the victim had done.

"I will not argue that Bill Dauzat was a saint," Harrel said. "But he still didn't deserve to die."

Also adding that the defense had been given the option to argue Manuel was mentally unfit but the defendant refused.

"There were processes that could have been done, there were evaluations that could have been made, but they opted not to do that," Harrel said. "They're now arguing for a reduced sentence for these reasons. This strikes me as the defense attempting to bake their cake and eat it too."

Dauzat's mother and niece gave victim impact statements asking for the maximum sentence as justice for their relative.

"My boy was a very good person," the victim's mother, Jo Dauzat said. "He did not deserve to be tortured in the way that he was."

Allison Dauzat added that although not a perfect man, her uncle loved her and her family.

"Bill was not a perfect man, nobody is," Allison Dauzat said. "But he was a wonderful uncle and he treated all of us like gold and for something like this to happen it feels like something out of a book, it doesn't feel like my family."

Manuel's father-in-law and grandfather to his child, Lausten Reed, spoke in favor of leniency saying that Manuel needed treatment for his mental health not to be locked away forever.

"I ask you to show him any type of mercy and offer any type of help you can to correct his mental health and begin to deal with his issues," Reed said.

Following the announcement of the sentence, Allison Dauzat said her family was very pleased with the verdict.

"We are elated," she said. "Hopefully he never gets out of jail."

Jordan Meier covers public safety for the Springfield News-Leader. Contact her at jmeier@news-leader.com, or on Twitter @Jordan_Meier644.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Republic man gets life sentence for 2017 stabbing