MANCHESTER, NH – A city man, accused of stabbing another man more than a half-dozen times during an argument last year outside an Elm Street store, was given a suspended sentence Thursday after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor offenses.
Kyle Jacob Bisson, 26, was accused of stabbing Michael Perry eight to nine times about 5 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2025 outside Bunny’s Convenience Store, 947 Elm St. Bisson, who was wounded in the chest in the incident, maintained it was a case of self-defense and that Perry threw the first punch and tackled him to the ground.
Prosecutors agreed Bisson had a case for self-defense. The incident was recorded on surveillance cameras which showed the fight between both men and Bisson swinging the knife at Perry as he ran away.
Originally, Bisson was arrested on a felony charge of second-degree assault and two counts of falsifying physical evidence – both felonies – for tossing a pocket knife down a storm drain and his red puffy jacket into a dumpster. On Thursday in Hillsborough County Superior Court Northern District, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct.
Under the negotiated plea, Bisson was given a 12-month suspended sentence and two years probation. If he maintains good behavior and complies with all terms of the sentence, probation could be terminated in a year. Sentence conditions include a recommendation he receive treatment for cognitive health and that he work with probation officers to “identify treatment areas to address impulsive behavior and/or anger management.”
Bisson’s case was one cited by proponents of bail reform after three different judges released him on bail pending trial.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, Mayor Jay Ruais and Executive Councilor John Stephen all expressed outrage that Magistrate Stephanie Johnson initially released Bisson on personal recognizance bail.
However, none of them, including police, mentioned in their news releases how the incident began – the alleged victim threw the first punch – or that Bisson had maintained he acted in self-defense, or that Perry called Bisson a racial slur.
In March 2025, Ayotte signed a bill that added restrictions on bail.
The stabbing happened just before 5 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2025, outside Bunny’s Convenience Store, 947 Elm St.
According to the arrest affidavit of Detective Timothy Carter, when officers arrived at the scene they found Perry suffering from multiple stab wounds to the chest and back. He was transported to the Elliot Hospital for treatment.
Police began searching for the other man involved in the fight, identified as Bisson, who was described as a Hispanic, wearing a red puffy jacket and headed east on Amherst Street. About that same time, Bisson called 911 to say he had been stabbed in the chest and was on the Bridge Street Bridge.
While being treated on the scene, Bisson told officers the injury was from the “guy on Elm Street” and that he had thrown the knife in a storm drain. Bisson also was taken to the Elliot for treatment.
Police later found Bisson’s jacket, with blood on it, in a dumpster near the parking lot at 2 Wall St.
Officers recovered video footage of the incident from Bunny’s and Taj India, 967 Elm St.
Bunny’s video recorded Bisson and Perry arguing from opposite sides of Amherst Street. After a short time, Bisson walked away, heading north on Elm Street, while Perry remained standing in front of Bunny’s. Bisson eventually walked back to Perry and the two appear to argue again, this time face-to-face.
Perry lunged at Bisson and then punched him in the face, causing Bisson to stumble backwards. Then, according to Carter’s affidavit, Bisson made a “whipping downward motion with his right hand, which appears consistent with someone whipping a folding pocket knife blade out.”
When Bisson did that, he turned around and looked at the ground, as if he dropped something. He bent down as if to pick it up something and Perry rushes him. At that point, both men are on the ground fighting, partially out of view of the camera. The two stood up and, Carter wrote, “M.P. appears to be fleeing and Bisson chases him, making several stabbing motions at him as they run around the intersection of Amherst Street/Elm Street.”
The altercation ended and Bisson walked away while Perry stayed at Bunny’s awaiting emergency personnel.
The Taj India video recorded much of the same although from a different angle. It also showed, however, that after the argument ended, Bisson walked north on Elm Street before heading back to Perry for a short bit. He then ran east on Amherst Street out of view of the camera.
Police interviewed Perry at the hospital where initially he was assessed with having nine stab wounds. He said he did not know his assailant. He said he was standing on the sidewalk outside Bunny’s talking to a friend. He said a man in the puffy red jacket deliberately bumped into him. Perry told the man to apologize.
The two began to argue and he said Bisson was being “mouthy.” Bisson told him he had a knife and then pulled out a pocket knife. Perry, in turn, said he also had a knife and the men continued arguing. Perry told police he didn’t actually have a knife but he said he did to try to scare off Bisson, who wouldn’t leave.
Bisson walked away but came back and pulled out the knife for a second time so Perry “went into ‘combat mode’ because he was scared at that point.” Perry punched Bisson in the head in an attempt to knock him unconscious to prevent Bisson from stabbing him. After he punched Bisson, he said Bisson attempted to take the knife out but dropped it in a snowbank. Perry used the opportunity to again try to knock out Bisson and disarm him.
Bisson, however, grabbed the knife and began stabbing him. Perry said after being stabbed about three times, he told Bisson he was done and told him to stop. Bisson, he said, continued to stab him, even though Perry was walking away.
He said he didn’t know how Bisson was stabbed because Perry never gained control of the knife.
Carter interviewed Bisson at the hospital. Bisson said earlier that day he had an argument with a homeless man he knows as “Chris.” He said he generally does not carry a knife but, because of that argument, he decided to buy a pocket knife at Bani Multi Service, 300 Merrimack St., where he went to cash his payroll check. He said he was not planning on using the knife but “you gotta defend yourself.”
After cashing his check and buying the knife, he began walking home by way of Elm Street, heading to Bridge Street. When he got to Bunny’s, he said, Perry was on the sidewalk talking to a homeless man. Perry, Bisson said, was blocking most of the sidewalk so he told Perry to watch out because people were walking there.
Perry, Bisson said, became angry and told him to shut the fuck up. Perry started cursing at him so Bisson “flipped the switch” and said “if you want to fight, we can fight.”
Perry lunged at him, to try to intimidate him, Bisson said, but he wasn’t scared of him. Bisson became angry after Perry did that a few times. He said he warned Perry he had a knife and said to let it go. Perry told him he had a knife, too.
Bisson said he crossed Amherst Street and was walking away when Perry yelled a racial slur at him. Bisson turned back, approached Perry and told him if he wanted “throw hands, we can throw hands.” Perry then punched him in the face, dazing him, and making Bisson think “he was about to get beaten to a pulp.”
Bisson said he was holding the folding knife in his right pocket and when Perry went to hit him, he tried to put his hands up to defend himself and dropped the knife. He went to pick it up and Perry jumped on top of him.
Bisson said he was on his back trying to flip the knife blade out when he stabbed Perry three times in the stomach and ribs. He said he then got up and Perry said stop repeatedly with his hands up. Bisson said Perry stayed at Bunny’s and he left, heading north up Nutfield Lane where he dumped the knife into a drain. He later threw his jacket into a dumpster.
Bisson only realized he suffered a stab wound to the chest when he was walking across the Bridge Street Bridge. He was unsure how he was stabbed. He said Perry never had the knife and he said it was possible the wound was self-inflicted in the scuffle.