Scottsdale police have "exactly nothing" against the Marine accused of stabbing former ASU football player Tyrice Thompson to death, his lawyer claims.
In Ian MacDonald's initial court appearance for his second-degree murder charge, attorney Jeffery Mehrens also spoke about his client's career as a Marine, in which he claimed MacDonald has a "top security clearance."
See also:
-Ian MacDonald's Bond Set at $75,000 in Scottsdale Stabbing Death of Tyrice Thompson
-Ian MacDonald Arrested in Scottsdale Murder of Former ASU Football Player Tyrice Thompson
Mehrens said MacDonald was part of the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team during his four tours of duty, and said he didn't even know what it was that MacDonald did overseas, but said he knows it "involves guarding radioactive materials."
The judge said that she took into account MacDonald's military service when deciding MacDonald's bond, which was set at $75,000. Police had requested bond be set at $1 million.
Additionally, Mehrens pointed out some possible weaknesses in the case against his client.
"They have no eyewitnesses, they have no confession, they have no murder weapon -- they have exactly nothing," he said.
Additionally, MacDonald -- who's accused of stabbing Thompson to death outside the Martini Ranch bar in Scottsdale -- had blood on his shirt, but a "preliminary" DNA test showed it's not Thompson's blood, according to court documents obtained by New Times.
And, although four of Martini Ranch's employees were outside at the time, none of them saw the actual stabbing, according to a probable-cause statement. Two of them, who had just escorted MacDonald and his girlfriend out of Martini Ranch, left them in the parking lot to deal with another "disturbance" out there. The other two saw MacDonald, his girlfriend, and Thompson apparently brawling outside, but by the time they got over to them, Thompson had already been stabbed.
Thompson was stabbed eight times, and died a few days after the January 27 attack. He never regained consciousness after being stabbed, and was unable to tell police who did it.
MacDonald and his girlfriend denied any involvement in the stabbing, but police found some other details.
"It should be noted that [MacDonald] was the [first] 911 caller who advised that his Girlfriend has been stabbed in the face by a Bouncer who took off running," the probable-cause statement says.
MacDonald's girlfriend, 22-year-old Samantha King, had not been stabbed in the face.
A probable-cause statement cites three anonymous acquaintances of MacDonald, who said MacDonald admitted to them he had the knife -- and stabbed Thompson. All three of these acquaintances told police that MacDonald said he'd chucked the knife in a dumpster in Mesa. One person said MacDonald admitted to putting the knife in a Ziploc bag of liquid bleach before tossing it in the dumpster.
MacDonald faces a second-degree murder charge, and King was arrested on charges of assault and hindering prosecution.