An Arkansas man convicted Thursday of throwing a fatal punch at a now-defunct nightclub left the courtroom facing a fine but no jail time, the Texarkana Gazette reported.
A Miller County jury found 27-year-old Taylor Caz Rogers guilty of manslaughter, a felony, and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine, the maximum, but did not order imprisonment, the newspaper reported.
Rogers was found guilty of punching Jon Paul "J.P." Russell in the head at the Electric Cowboy in Texarkana in August 2015, which led to Russell's fatal brain injury.
The 32-year-old suffered a substantial skull fracture near his brain stem, Texarkana neurosurgeon Marc Smith testified Thursday. Russell's family decided to end life support about two weeks after the blow, the paper reported.
The nightclub where the assault occurred has since closed.
Rogers' lawyer Mickey Buchanan told the courtroom that his client was "scared" when Russell engaged his friend in an argument over a woman, the paper reported.
Deputy prosecuting attorney said there were trained bouncers who were already handling the situation when Rogers decided to get physical.
"Boys, booze and women. Like I said, never a good combination," Mitchell told the jury.
"That's why clubs like the Electric Cowboy have floor security. If Taylor Rogers had just let them do their jobs that night, Jon Paul Russell would still be alive."
