KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man accused of stabbing another man to death in Kansas City, Missouri, told investigators he acted in self-defense, according to court documents.
David F. Cornell, 61, allegedly stabbed James Fisher after the pair were arguing from their apartment balconies.
Court documents state Fisher was drinking alcohol with two females while he argued with Cornell.
A witness told investigators that Fisher said, “come down here and fight me," at some point in the argument.
Moments later, the pair confronted each other at a fence and exchanged punches.
However, witnesses heard Fisher say, "you stabbed me.”
On the same night, Cornell was arrested. As he was being escorted to a police wagon, an officer reported Cornell said, "I did it in self-defense."
During an interview, Cornell said that Fisher had punched him twice in the face, and then he instinctively "hit" Fisher with a knife in his pocket, which he later clarified to investigators that he meant stabbed.
The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged Cornell with armed criminal action and second-degree murder.
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