Man accused of fatally stabbing Paso Robles resident at party found guilty
A Shandon man accused of fatally stabbing a Paso Robles man during a party was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury returned its verdict about 3 p.m. Friday following a month-long trial in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, finding Kejuan Guy Bynum, 29, guilty of killing Cristopher Vento Wilson. However, jurors decided that Bynum was not guilty of first-degree murder.
The jury also found that Bynum used a deadly weapon during the commission of his crime.
“We thank the jury for their focused consideration in hearing this emotional case,” county District Attorney Dan Dow said in an agency news release. “We hope that this verdict brings some degree of solace to Cristopher’s family, friends and the community so affected by this senseless act of violence.”
At a separate hearing, Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen found true that Bynum was convicted for robbery in 2015, considered a violent felony under California’s Three Strikes Law, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Witnesses: Fight during party led to death
On the afternoon of June 1, 2019, Bynum repeatedly challenged Christopher Vento Wilson to a fight at a friend’s home during a small party, according to witnesses who testified during Bynum’s murder trial in Superior Court.
Wilson tried to avoid the altercation, but Bynum threw the first punch, a glancing blow, and Wilson returned a punch that landed squarely on Bynum’s jaw, witnesses said.
Bynum and Wilson, who was 23 at the time, then crashed through a neighbor’s fence as Bynum rushed Wilson again and got the younger man in a headlock, according to testimony.
After the fight was broken up, Bynum rushed Wilson with a concealed knife in his hand, repeatedly landing blows to Wilson’s chest and head, witnesses testified. Wilson died within minutes.
Bynum then fled to a Shandon home where he’d been staying and escaped as a passenger in a friend’s car before authorities tracked him down.
During the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Delaney Henretty argued that Bynum’s actions were deliberate and pre-meditated.
Defense attorney Scott Taylor, however, countered in his closing arguments that his client may have blacked out due to extreme intoxication.
In addition, Bynum likely suffered a concussion that altered his judgment after Wilson landed a blow to his jaw, swelling his face, Taylor said.
The defense attorney cited “unintended consequences,” making the case for a reduced penalty of involuntary manslaughter.
Bynum is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13 at 8:30 a.m. in Van Rooyen’s courtroom.
“As a result of his murder conviction and prior conviction for robbery, a violent felony under California’s Three Strikes Law, Bynum faces a maximum of 31 years to life to life in state prison,” the release said.
Bynum was being held Friday in San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail pending his transfer to state prison.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 5:13 PM.
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