23-year-old Ryan Lekosky was stabbed in French Quarter confrontation
An Orleans Parish Criminal Court jury has convicted Melvin Clay of Houston of second-degree murder in the October 2010 stabbing death of a U.S. Marine Sargeant in the French Quarter.
23-year-old Ryan Lekosky was stabbed seven times in a confrontation that occurred as he and his wife were returning to their hotel after they attended a Marine Corps Ball.
The altercation, near the intersection of Dauphine and Iberville Streets, was touched off when Clay allegedly made remarks about Lekosky's wife as he passed the couple in a rented SUV.
Lekosky, a veteran of the war in Iraq, died a few hours after he was rushed to a hospital. He had been assigned to the base in Belle Chasse.
The jury returned its guilty verdict after considering the case for about 3 hours.
Clay, who had claimed he acted in self defense, will be sentenced to life in prison.
