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Suspect in Stabbing Death of Dodger Fan Released
Jonathan Davis (left) with his father and brother hours before he was fatally stabbed at AT&T Park. (Matthew Gomes/Family of Jonathan Davis)
The San Francisco district attorney released the man arrested in connection with the stabbing death of Dodger fan Jonathan Denver late Friday night for lack of evidence.
The 21-year old Matthew Montgomery of Lodi was booked Thursday evening after giving implicating statements during questioning. Montgomery and an 18-year old man were detained following the fight late Wednesday night that took the life of Denver. The 18-year old was released on Thursday.
Denver attended the Dodgers-Giants game Wednesday night at AT&T Park along with his father Robert Preece, a security guard at Dodger Stadium, his brother Rob Preece, his father's girlfriend and another friend. They left the game in the eighth inning to go to a nearby bar.
As they got to Third Street and Harrison Street, about four blocks north of AT&T Park, they encountered the group from Lodi. A back-and-forth ensued, a couple of altercations ensued which ended in Denver's death.
Details are fuzzy on what exactly occurred during the altercation. Montgomery's father Marty Montgomery told media outlets that his son phoned him from jail in tears saying he acted in self defense protecting himself from being attacked by a chair.
In a statement, District Attorney George Gascon noted that they had to "prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in lawful self-defense. It is vital for our office to have independent corroboration of the incident in order to meet our ethical obligation to charge this case."
Gascon requested the police interview more witness and collect more evidence.
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