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Final report issued regarding the homicide of Christopher Gagnon in Manchester, New Hampshire on February 2, 2014
Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and Manchester Police Chief Enoch F. Willard announce that the attached final report has been completed regarding the investigation into the fatal stabbing of Christopher Gagnon by Stephen O'Neill that occurred in Manchester, New Hampshire on February 2, 2014.
On October 22, 2014, the Attorney General's Office issued a news release stating that based upon the investigation conducted, no homicide charges would be brought in connection with Mr. Gagnon's death. That news release also indicated that Mr. O'Neill and a second man, Tristan Stone, had been indicted on multiple non-homicide felony charges in connection with their conduct on the evening of Mr. Gagnon's death, after the Attorney General's Office had referred its investigative file to the Hillsborough County Attorney's Office for consideration of possible non-homicide charges. Lastly, the news release indicated that when the legal proceedings against Mr. O'Neill and Mr. Stone concluded, the Attorney General's Office would issue its final report on Mr. Gagnon's death with the associated findings and reasoning behind the decision not to seek homicide charges. Those legal proceedings have ended, permitting the issuance of a final report.
The report, which is attached, concludes that based upon all of the evidence obtained during the course of the investigation, Mr. O'Neill stabbed Mr. Gagnon under circumstances by which the State would be unable to disprove Mr. O'Neill's legal claim of self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt and thus Mr. O'Neill cannot be charged with Mr. Gagnon's homicide.
The two videos referenced in the final report, which were taken by cellular telephone prior to the altercation in which Mr. O'Neill stabbed and killed Mr. Gagnon, are available on the Department of Justice website, https://www.doj.nh.gov/media-center/video/index/htm. Those videos contain explicit adult language and have not been edited for content.