A jury began deliberating around 2 p.m. Wednesday the guilt of a man charged with stabbing his father several times in 2014.
The trial started Monday in the 358th Judicial District Court, presided over by Judge W. Stacy Trotter.
Three possible verdicts are being weighed against 32-year-old Michael Kildow Jr.: Guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, not guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity.
Kildow’s defense attorney, Bob Garcia Jr., pleaded with the jury in his closing statement to find his defendant not guilty by reason of insanity, as he had been diagnosed by two separate psychiatrists with schizophrenia.
The father of the defendant, Michael Kildow Sr., testified Wednesday morning about how his son’s condition had worsened in the year leading up to the alleged assault, and how his son’s eyes had gone colorless as he was being stabbed by his son, only able to see his pupils and the dark rings around his eyeballs.
The prosecutors, Bill Prasher and Melissa Williams, argued that while Kildow may have schizophrenia, he was in his right mind during the attack. They argued this was the case due to Kildow concealing the knife as someone drove by, and because Kildow dropped the knife after he was confronted by a neighbor.
Police first arrested Kildow, 29, after a nearly 30-minute standoff with police and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony, in September of 2014 in the 2800 block of East 11th Street after reportedly stabbing his 55-year-old father several times with a knife following a domestic dispute.
Police blocked off the street to prevent anyone from coming near, as Kildow barricaded himself into the residence for about half an hour before turning himself into the police, and was taken into custody without incident.
Should Kildow be found guilty, he could face anywhere between 5 and 99 years in prison.
District Attorney Bobby Bland said if Kildow were to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, it would be up to the judge to determine whether the defendant is a danger, and what kind of hospitalization or treatment he would need.
