JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A northeast Florida man faces up to 30 years in prison for killing another man with a baseball bat during a party.
A Duval County jury found 36-year-old Alvin Kenneth Welch guilty of manslaughter Friday. He had been facing a second-degree murder charge and possible life sentence.
Authorities say Welch attended a gathering to watch the NFL playoffs in January 2014 at the home of 31-year-old Joshua Andrew Heinz. Prosecutors say Welch was cutting meat for a take-home plate when he got into an argument with Heinz over how it was being sliced. The Florida Times-Union reports that the argument escalated, and Welch picked up a bat and hit Heinz.
Heinz testified that he was only acting in self-defense after Heinz threatened him with a knife.
