PHOENIX – Ian MacDonald (D.O.B. 8/25/1986) will spend the next 18 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for fatally stabbing Tyrice Thompson during a fight outside a Scottsdale nightclub last year. MacDonald was convicted on one count of manslaughter last August. Under terms of the sentence imposed today by the Honorable Roland Steinle, MacDonald will not be eligible for early release.
“Despite this defendant’s efforts to conceal or minimize his culpability for taking an innocent life, he now faces the consequences for his violent actions,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “This case also underscores the ability of Arizona juries to fairly distinguish a lawful act of self-defense from a criminal offense,” he added.
On January 27, 2013, Scottsdale Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a large fight and possible stabbing outside the Martini Ranch nightclub on East Stetson Drive. Officers arrived to find Tyrice Thompson, who was working as a bouncer at the club, lying on the sidewalk with numerous stab wounds. Thompson was transported to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn, where he later died as a result of his injuries.
When contacted by responding officers, Ian MacDonald had blood on his shirt and fresh abrasions to his right knuckles and wrist. He told one officer that he sustained the injuries from a fall inside the club and denied being involved in a fight. After interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance video, investigators subsequently established that MacDonald and Thompson were in fact involved in a fight after MacDonald and his girlfriend were removed from the club by two employees. MacDonald, his girlfriend, and Thompson were observed in a violent struggle in the parking lot outside the club after which Thompson clutched his back and staggered away.
On February 15, 2013, the Grand Jurors of Maricopa County charged MacDonald with one count of second degree murder. After a seven-day trial, jurors returned a guilty verdict on the lesser charge of manslaughter and further found that aggravating factors were proven.
While he was awaiting trial, MacDonald was arrested for assaulting a Tempe Police Officer. Charges were later dismissed by the Tempe Prosecutor’s Office. Shortly before the trial, MacDonald was arrested after a violent domestic dispute and charged with aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, animal cruelty and making a false report to law enforcement. He is scheduled for trial on these offenses on December 1, 2014.
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