Man convicted of manslaughter in 2015 West Central stabbing

A jury found accused killer Michael Gehrke guilty of manslaughter Tuesday for fatally stabbing another man in West Central Spokane in September.

Gehrke, 33, claimed he killed Christopher Piñeyro, 35, in self-defense during a fight in the 1500 block of North Adams Street on Sept. 4. He said he had told Piñeyro to stay away from him because he knew Piñeyro had kidnapped and raped a 16-year-old girl, court documents say. Court records show Piñeyro was charged with rape and kidnapping in 2013 and later served nine months in jail after pleading guilty to domestic violence assault.

Gehrke was arrested in mid-November and charged with second-degree murder. He has been in jail since he was charged.

Prosecutors portrayed Gehrke as the aggressor in the fight, saying he approached Piñeyro while armed with a knife. Court documents say witnesses saw Gehrke get out of a car, confront Piñeyro on the street and push him off of his bike. The two men fought, with Gehrke brandishing a knife and Piñeyro swinging a hammer. Then Gehrke stabbed Piñeyro in the throat, an injury that led to Piñeyro’s death several days later.

Gehrke’s defense attorneys said the killing was in self-defense, something Gehrke claimed when police first interviewed him. Court documents say Gehrke told detectives Piñeyro referred to him with an expletive and yelled “I’ve got something for you.” He claimed Piñeyro confronted him with a hammer, and he only pulled out a knife in self-defense.

Several witnesses reported seeing Piñeyro swinging a hammer, but could not say who started the fight, court documents say.

Jeremy Schmidt, Gehrke’s county-funded defense attorney from the Counsel for Defense, said the case was a “clear cut” example of self-defense. Gehrke was not represented by a public defender because the office had a conflict of interest, Schmidt said.

“We’re happy that he wasn’t convicted of murder, but I think when we’re talking about the self-defense case that we thought was very straightforward … any conviction is disappointing,” he said. Schmidt said he plans to appeal the verdict.

Gehrke is scheduled for sentencing on March 24.