Two Manchester men have been indicted in connection with the stabbing death of Christopher Gagnon in February of 2014.
According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, neither Stephen O’Neill nor Tristan Stone will face homicide charges.
O’Neill and Stone are both charged with criminal restraint, falsifying evidence and felonious use of a firearm. You can read the indictments here.
The full statement released Oct. 22, 2014 by the Attorney General’s office follows:
NH Attorney General Joseph A. Foster and Manchester Police Department Chief David J. Mara announce an update on the investigation into the fatal stabbing of Christopher Gagnon in Manchester, New Hampshire, on February 2, 2014. An autopsy of Mr. Gagnon revealed that the cause of his death was a single stab wound to his chest, and the manner of his death was declared by the Medical Examiner to be a homicide.
Since the initial police response on February 2, 2014, the Attorney General’s Office and the Manchester Police Department have been investigating the circumstances that led to Christopher Gagnon’s death, including but not limited to the validity of a claim of self-defense raised by Stephen O’Neill, the individual who was identified as stabbing Mr. Gagnon. That investigation entailed the review of numerous witness interviews, an examination of physical evidence recovered from the scene of relevant events, and testing of recovered forensic evidence.
Based upon the full investigation conducted, no homicide charges will be brought in connection with Mr. Gagnon’s death. Instead, Stephen O’Neill and Tristan Stone have been indicted on multiple non-homicide felony charges in connection with their conduct on the evening of Mr. Gagnon’s death. Those indictments were handed-down after the Attorney General’s Office referred its investigative file to the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office for consideration of possible non-homicide charges.
No further information regarding the investigation into Mr. Gagnon’s death or the rationale for the charges against Stephen O’Neill and Tristan Stone will be forthcoming while the cases against those two men are pending. However, once the current legal proceedings against them have concluded, the Attorney General’s Office will issue its final report on Mr. Gagnon’s death, with the associated findings and reasoning behind the decision not to seek homicide charges.