Prior to imposing the sentence Sage asked Ray if he had anything to say.
“On June 17 I killed a man,” Ray said. “Now it’s time for me to face the music.”
Ray killed his 36-year-old stepfather Brian Schmidt with a single knife wound that struck a major artery, causing the man to bleed to death. Ray said he killed in self-defense after Schmidt allegedly attacked him.
Family and friends of both Schmidt and Ray filled the courtroom during the two-day trial. When the verdict was read, stifled sobs could be heard around the gallery. Assistant Prosecutor David Kash said the verdict was no cause for celebration.
“This incident destroyed an entire family,” he said. “It’s never a joy to see someone be convicted of an offense that they committed, but that was avoidable. It’s torn these two families apart. There is nothing good that comes out of this.”
The Schmidt family would not comment. Ray’s mother, Bonnie Ray Schmidt, testified on his behalf Tuesday and left immediately after the sentencing.
One of Ray’s attorneys Greg Beane agreed it was a heartbreaking case.
“We were hopeful for a different outcome, but Michael was prepared for the verdict either way,” Beane said. “And he told us today he would accept the verdict either way.”
The altercation that ended in murder stemmed from an argument over Ray and a friend drinking alcohol while the rest of the family was at a Little League game, Ray testified Tuesday. He said he lied about drinking at first, but then confessed after Brian Schmidt was going to confront his friend.
Ray testified that his stepfather punched him four or five times and backed him into the side of a dresser. Ray said he had his arms up and his head down as he tried to deflect the blows.
“I was panicking. I was freaking out. I couldn’t see anything, so I reached behind me and felt for a knife,” Ray said. “I took it up and stabbed him. I didn’t know what he was going to do. He was mad, and it takes him a long time to calm down.”
Schmidt testified she found a multi-tool clutched in her husband’s hand and gave it to police. Ray said his stepfather hit him on the top of his head with something metal.
Ray was caught on video and audio tape talking to himself in an interrogation room at the Butler County Jail. During a snippet of that conversation, he said Schmidt wasn’t going to hurt him. Assistant Prosecutor David Kash brought up the tape during cross examination, and Ray admitted during his testimony that his stepfather probably wouldn’t have hurt him.
“Looking back on it now, I don’t think he was going to hurt me,” Ray said. “But at the time, when I’m getting punched in the head, it’s hard to come to that conclusion.”
The essential element of self-defense is that the person must have a reasonable belief they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.
“Everybody has a right to a self-defense, if they qualify, if they meet the criteria,” Kash said during closing arguments. “That’s where this case rests. That’s the crux; that’s the linchpin. His state of mind.”
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