WOODLAND — Jurors in a Yolo County homicide case began deliberating Thursday whether the defendant committed first-degree murder or acted in self-defense when he stabbed his rival at a Woodland bar.
Prosecutors say 55-year-old Jeffrey Lemus acted willfully, deliberately and with premeditation when he fatally stabbed Kelly Mason Choate, 53, inside Kenny’s Bar & Grill on the night of Dec. 5, 2015, ending a history of disputes between the two men that began over a stolen bike.
But Lemus is claiming self-defense, his attorney arguing that Choate verbally threatened him as he entered the bar that night and was known to carry a knife, putting Lemus in fear of suffering grave injury or death.
The six-man, six-woman jury heard nearly a fully day of closing arguments in the case Thursday following two weeks of witness testimony. Their deliberations resumed at 9 a.m. today.