The suspect in the stabbing death of 20-year-old West Hartford man just after midnight on New Year’s Day in Hartford appeared in court on Tuesday to face a murder charge.
Tequile Walwyn, 19, of Hartford, is accused of stabbing Jonathan Douglin, 20, of West Hartford, in the abdomen and chest after Douglin bumped into him during a New Year's Eve Party at Eight Sixty Skate Shop, a Hartford skate shop, according to the arrest warrant application.
Walwyn's attorney said his client was acting in self-defense, the Associated Press reported.
One witness reported seeing Walwyn and Douglin get into a shoving match and later hearing Walwyn say "I had no choice, I had to poke him," the arrest warrant application said.
Another witness said Douglin bumped into Walwyn by accident and the two men got into a shoving match for about a minute.
Outside the skate shop, Douglinsaid he thought he was bleeding and then fell to the ground, according to the arrest warrant application.
Walwyn was released on a $250,000 bond but has not been released from custody. Walwyn is forbidden from contacting the victim's family.
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He has not been released yet because he is required to wear an ankle bracelet and there is a problem with his mother's landline. If the landline cannot be set up, the ankle bracelet will not work.
Douglin was a former Conard High School student who played football for the high school team, as well as other teams, according to his obituary.
Officers found Douglin when they responded to the Eight Sixty Skate Shop, an indoor skate park, at 41 Francis Ave. at 12:09 a.m. on Friday to investigate reports of a stabbing.
Police said he had been stabbed in the abdomen and chest and was transported to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:11 a.m.
Police obtained a warrant on Monday for Walwyn and he turned himself in to police around 11 a.m. after learning of the warrant.
His bond was set at $250,000, which he posted, so he was released from custody. Walwyn has no prior criminal history in Hartford.
This was the first homicide in the city in 2016. In 2015, there were 31 homicides in Hartford.
A vigil will be held for Douglin on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 5:00 pm by Mothers United Against Violence.
