A man incarcerated for murder in southeastern Arizona is set to get a new trial by order of the state Supreme Court.
Ricky Hippensteel is imprisoned in Douglas for second-degree murder, fleeing police and resisting arrest.
At trial, Hippensteel said he stabbed a man in self-defense. He also argued that if the jury did not believe his claim, it should find that he was provoked and convict him of manslaughter.
Now, the Arizona Supreme Court says conflicting directions and the wrong verdict form likely kept the jury from deciding whether to convict Hippensteel of manslaughter instead of second-degree murder.
Hippensteel will be retried on that charge, but his other convictions were upheld.
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