UPDATE: Jason Stinson Found Not Guilty

((HT: Louisville Courier-Journal/Riley))

A Jefferson County jury has acquitted former Pleasure Ridge Park High School football coach Jason Stinson on charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in the death of a player in 2008.

The jury reached the verdict approximately 90 minutes after beginning deliberations in the case of sophomore lineman Max Gilpin’s death from heat stroke.

One of Stinson's attorneys, Alex Dathorne, summed his case to the jury this way:

"We’re talking about a football practice,” Dathorne told jurors. “Do you understand that?”

“We’ve got a man looking at prison time for being a football coach,” Dathorne said, telling jurors that football is, in itself, a risk and Max’s death three days after practice was an accident.

“Convict football, don’t convict this man,” Dathorne told jurors. “This man was doing what every coach in the country was doing that day.”

Complete coverage from the Louisville Courier-Journal is here in black...
Here are the closing arguments from the defense and the prosecution, thanks to our friends at WHAS-TV in Louisville...

Here's an interview with Stinson attorney Alex Dathorne, thanks to our friends at Fox 41

Closing Arguments Underway In Stinson Case

((HT: Fox 41/Louisville))

The end of the case for former Pleasure Ridge Park coach Jason Stinson came Thursday morning, after testimony from Dr. William Smock, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Louisville.

Smock testified by video that the attention deficit disorder drug Adderall was the main factor in causing the heat stroke that caused 15-year-old Max Gilpin to collapse on Aug. 20, 2008, at the end of practice. Gilpin died three days later at a Louisville hospital.

Jurors are set to begin deliberations in the case later today. Stinson also faces a charge of wanton endangerment.

Here's your early coverage from WDRB-TV in Louisville
Stephan Johnson got to stand outside of the courthouse ((again)) for his live shot...

Defense Begins In Stinson Case

((HT: Fox 41/WDRB))

Judge Susan Schultz Gibson on Tuesday denied a request to dismiss charges against Jason Stinson. That's when the defense started presenting its case. The former coach is charged with reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in player Max Gilpin's death.

Five teenagers were the opening witnesses for the defense. One said Gilpin complained of feeling ill before practice and as players helped him off the field after he collapsed.

"He just kept repeating he didn't feel good," the teen said. He helped Gilpin off the field. "Then, he just stopped." Another teen said Gilpin complained of feeling ill at lunchtime and after school. "He wasn't really talking as much as he usually does," the teen said. "I asked him what was wrong. He said he didn't feel good."

The four players who testified Tuesday also said Stinson never denied players water and didn't berate them as they ran. Other witnesses have said Stinson called players cowards and threatened to run players until someone quit the team.

Prosecutors said Stinson ran players to excess as punishment. Stinson's defense says the practice wasn't unusually hard.

Dr. Dan Danzl, Chairman of Emergency Medicine at the University of Louisville, testified that Gilpin likely died from what's known as an exertional heatstroke -- common in young people.

Stephan Johnson got to stand outside the courthouse for his live shot again...

Prosecution Rests In Stinson Case

((HT: WDRB-Fox 41/Louisville))

The prosecution rested Monday in the Jason Stinson case.

Right after, Stinson's side asked a judge to find him not guilty. That's a standard request in criminal trials, when prosecutors have presented "all" their evidence. It rarely succeeds for the defendant and it did not Monday night. The procedure is called a "motion for directed verdict."

Jason Stinson's ((pictured, thanks Louisville Courier-Journal)) attorneys will begin his defense in a Louisville courtroom Tuesday morning. First, they wanted the judge to throw out the reckless homicide and wanton endangerment charges, arguing prosecutors had not proven their side. Judge Susan Schultz Gibson listened, but said "no." The jury will hear the rest of the case.

"I think there is sufficient evidence Max Gilpin died of a heat stroke. That the experience he went through at the practice, according to Dr. Casa, was such that certainly that contributed to the heats stroke, which ultimately led to his death. I think there is at least some evidence in the record of a failure to perceive the risk," said Susan Schultz Gibson, Circuit Judge.

Stinson's attorneys will argue that Stinson's actions as coach did not break any rules and that they did not contribute to football player Max Gilpin's death of complications from heat stroke. He was 15-years-old when he died in August of last year, three days after he collapsed at Pleasure Ridge Park football practice.

"We had a scheduled water break... then we had two unscheduled water breaks," said Stinson.

Stinson brought up his concern that players had water on that 94-degree day when Max became ill. He remembered players running extra sprints.

Stinson said he was calm and did not yell angrily at players or deny them water as some witnesses claimed. Stinson said he does not know when Max went down. No one told him Max was in trouble or struggling.

"After Max goes down, I can't tell you when he went down. Nobody said, 'Coach Stinson, Max is down.' or 'Coach Stinson, Max is struggling'," said Stinson.

"As a heat-related illness, he's the most critical patient I've ever seen," said Joseph Bratcher, Metro EMS.

After hearing the tape, jurors now have two different versions of Stinson's story to consider. Stinson's side may finish its case before the end of the week.

Here's Monday's courtroom wrap, thanks to our friends at Fox 41
Chris Turner stood in front of a monitor


Here are the tapes from the police interviews with Stinson as well
The Louisville Courier-Journal has live coverage from the courtroom

Doctors Disagree On Gilpin Diagnosis

((HT: WDRB-Fox41 Louisville))

An expert on heat stroke testified that Max Gilpin's body temperature was more than 109 degrees, when he collapsed last year at PRP football practice.

Douglas Casa's testimony came Thursday in the trial of Gilpin's former football coach, Jason Stinson. Stinson is charged with reckless homicide and wanton endangerment for Gilpin's death from heat stroke.

In court, Casa said his review of the case finds eight to ten other players showed signs of heat stroke that day. Casa said Max could have survived, if coaches had helped him sooner.

Two of Gilpin's doctors disagreed whether he was dehydrated when he arrived at Kosair Children's Hospital. One testified he'd been given about one-third of a liter of fluids in the ambulance.

Doctor Potter said doctors gave Gilpin as much as four liters of fluids at the hospital.

However, in ICU, his condition worsened to the point his organs stopped working, one by one.