A Lakewood man was convicted Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter for killing a Cypress bar patron by hitting the victim on the head with a pool cue.
Jurors deliberated about 90 minutes before convicting Richard Lee Thompson, who could face up to four years in prison for the March 17, 2008, attack on 44-year-old Steven Toole at the Breakers Bar, 4360 Lincoln Ave., in Cypress.
Sentencing for the 48-year-old defendant is set for Feb. 19 at the Santa Ana Superior Court.
The brief fight that resulted in Toole's death involved a beer mistakenly delivered to him. The beverage was meant for Thompson's friend, who Thompson had just beaten at a game of pool, which was rare, witnesses testified.
Thompson's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Mark Brown, argued his client was not guilty because he was defending himself during the St. Patrick's Day brawl.
Bartender Cindy Hoth testified that Toole refused the beer she mistakenly delivered to him, angering Thompson, who kept confronting him about it until Toole shoved Thompson.
Prosecutor Jason Baez said Thompson "overreacted" to the shove, grabbed the pool stick, got up and stomped over to Toole and slammed the thick end of the pool stick into the back of his head.
"You can't hit someone in the head with a deadly weapon just because they shoved you," Baez told the jury in his opening statement.
Brown told jurors that Toole egged on Thompson after the shove, but Hoth disputed that in her testimony.
Brown also argued that Toole had called a friend right before the brawl, asking him to come down to the bar to "corral" Thompson.
Jurors deliberated about 90 minutes before convicting Richard Lee Thompson, who could face up to four years in prison for the March 17, 2008, attack on 44-year-old Steven Toole at the Breakers Bar, 4360 Lincoln Ave., in Cypress.
Sentencing for the 48-year-old defendant is set for Feb. 19 at the Santa Ana Superior Court.
The brief fight that resulted in Toole's death involved a beer mistakenly delivered to him. The beverage was meant for Thompson's friend, who Thompson had just beaten at a game of pool, which was rare, witnesses testified.
Thompson's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Mark Brown, argued his client was not guilty because he was defending himself during the St. Patrick's Day brawl.
Bartender Cindy Hoth testified that Toole refused the beer she mistakenly delivered to him, angering Thompson, who kept confronting him about it until Toole shoved Thompson.
Prosecutor Jason Baez said Thompson "overreacted" to the shove, grabbed the pool stick, got up and stomped over to Toole and slammed the thick end of the pool stick into the back of his head.
"You can't hit someone in the head with a deadly weapon just because they shoved you," Baez told the jury in his opening statement.
Brown told jurors that Toole egged on Thompson after the shove, but Hoth disputed that in her testimony.
Brown also argued that Toole had called a friend right before the brawl, asking him to come down to the bar to "corral" Thompson.
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