Jury acquits Hatfield man of assault during domestic incident

NORRISTOWN » A Hatfield Township man was acquitted by a jury of all assault-related charges in connection with a 2016 domestic disturbance during which his onetime girlfriend claimed he slashed her in the neck and hands with a knife.

After a five-day trial, the Montgomery County jury acquitted Jamie Richard Kennedy, 45, of charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the May 13, 2016, disturbance at his former apartment in the 100 block of Penn Street.

Before the jury got the case, Judge Steven C. Tolliver dismissed a charge of attempted homicide against Kennedy, determining prosecutors had not presented sufficient evidence during the trial to support that charge going to the jury.

“He instantly started crying and could barely breathe, he was shaking,” defense lawyer Emily D. Sieber said on Tuesday, describing Kennedy’s reaction to the verdict. “He’s relieved.”

Kennedy was expected to be released from the county jail on Tuesday. However, Kennedy spent nearly two years in jail, in lieu of $200,000 cash bail, while awaiting the trial.

“His entire life, he’s lost everything. He’s lost his job. He lost his home. I’m just hoping he can get back to a normal life, some semblance of what he had before,” Sieber said.

Testimony and court documents revealed the domestic-related argument occurred after Kennedy and the woman had been drinking at a local bar and had returned to Kennedy’s apartment.

The woman testified that during an argument Kennedy took out his pocket knife and stabbed her in the side of her neck, twisting the blade, and then slashed her hands, causing deep lacerations.

But during the trial, Sieber argued the woman’s claims “were inconsistent with the physical evidence.”

“How she said it happened didn’t make sense,” Sieber argued.

Sieber argued the woman was hitting Kennedy in the head and Kennedy warned her he had a knife. Sieber argued the woman went to grab the knife and during an ensuing scuffle she was injured.

Kennedy also testified during the trial and denied the woman’s accusations.

“It wasn’t a self-defense (case). He wasn’t intending on hurting her. She went for the knife and was injured, unfortunately,” claimed Sieber, who argued Kennedy was not to blame for the woman’s injuries.

The woman fled from the apartment after sustaining the injuries and she drove to a nearby 7-Eleven store in the 300 block of Union Street and sought help. When police responded to the 7-Eleven, the woman reported she had been stabbed by Kennedy.

The woman was treated at a local hospital and received numerous stitches to her hands, according to court documents and testimony.