Manslaughter case dismissed for Mesa man accused of death by asphyxiation

An Arizona court commissioner dismissed the case of a Mesa man who was charged with manslaughter after he was accused of strangling another man last month.

Calvin Glasby, 44, was charged with negligent manslaughter, a Class 2 felony – the second most serious crime – following the death of 41-year-old Randall Black. On January 24, a physical altercation took place between the two at the Miles Motel at 5911 E. Main. st. in Mesa, according to court documents.

Multiple witnesses at the scene said they saw Glasby hold Black in a continuous chokehold for about 10 minutes, court documents show. Some witnesses said they heard Black say he couldn’t breathe.

After police and medical personnel arrived and life-saving measures were taken, Black was pronounced dead at the scene. Glasby fled to his motel room before the police arrived. It was then that witnesses led the police to his whereabouts.

Glasby said he acted in self-defense after Black confronted him, drew a gun and accused him of having sex with his girlfriend, court documents show. However, later, according to the documents, Black was unarmed.

Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Rodney Mitchell dismissed Glasby’s case without prejudice on January 27, three days after the incident. This means prosecutors can still bring charges in the future if they choose to.

But Mitchell said a conviction was unlikely at this time and that more information was needed before the case could proceed.

Much of the incident was captured on CCTV cameras. According to court documents, Black starts the fight by punching Glasby outside his motel room. In response, Glasby throws something back at him. Glasby later confessed to police that he threw a soda can at the victim.

The documents say Glasby is then seen grabbing Black’s legs and lowering him to the ground, where he climbs on top of Black and holds him down. The video ends with the bystanders trying to pull Glasby away from Black and telling him to let Black go.

The story goes on

Glasby denied knowing Black. He told police that on January 22, Black and another man pointed a gun at him for an unknown reason, according to court documents.

On the day of the incident, Glasby said that Black confronted him, claiming he was sleeping with his girlfriend. Glasby denied these allegations. Black then punched Glasby in the face, according to court documents and their description of the surveillance video.

Glasby admitted to knocking Black to the ground. According to him, Black said he was going to kill him. He told police that he gained control of Black by wrapping his arms around the victim’s torso and pinning his arms against his body. However, Glasby denied that Black had been strangled, despite eyewitness testimony and security footage. Instead, he said that his body weight shifted towards Black’s upper torso during their fight.

Glasby said that he felt he had the right to restrain Black in order to prevent him from further attacking. He told police that he did not let Black go until he felt it was safe and denied ever hearing Black ask to be let go or claim he could not breathe.

When the police got to Glasby in his motel room, he repeatedly told them:

“I had to defend myself.”

This report follows the crimes the Republic began covering in 2023 and is part of our commitment to telling the story from start to finish.

This article originally appeared in Arizona Republic: Manslaughter case dismissed against Mesa man charged with death by asphyxiation.

Content Source

News Press Ohio – Latest News:
Columbus Local News || Cleveland Local News || Ohio State News || National News || Money and Economy News || Entertainment News || Tech News || Environment News

Related Articles

Back to top button