Man Says He Killed His Father Accidentally

Ryan Stephenson said he punched him back and then retreated to the hallway. His dad met him there, and the two grappled for a time before his dad withdrew, saying, " 'That's it,' " and moved to his own bedroom, Stephenson said.

Stephenson thought of simply going back to sleep but instead followed his dad into the master bedroom, concerned he would be attacked again, he said.

"I wanted to go back to sleep, but I couldn't safely do that without finding out where he stood," Stephenson testified.

When he confronted his father, he said, his dad tried to put him in a headlock, but he deflected the advance, applied his own headlock and took his father to the ground.

His father, meanwhile, had dialed 911 about 10:37 a.m., and a recording of the call was played in the courtroom. When the operator answers, "911, where is your emergency?" she is met with seconds of silence, followed by the sound of gasps for air and later Ryan Stephenson's voice.

Exactly what Stephenson said was a subject of debate in the trial. Robinson said he could be heard repeatedly imploring his father to "die." Stephenson said he was asking his father whether he was "done" fighting him.

Hamblen lowered the charge against Stephenson after Morley argued that the prosecution's evidence, which included a taped police interview in which Stephenson said his father attacked him, ruled out premeditation.

After his father's 911 call, Ryan Stephenson called 911 himself.

"My father isn't breathing," he told the operator, who then walked him through instructions on how to perform CPR.

Eventually, paramedics arrived and took over. Stephenson was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner determined he died from strangulation and ruled it a homicide.

"You did a great job," the operator told Stephenson during the call. "You should be very proud of yourself."

Closing arguments have been scheduled for Monday. If convicted, Stephenson could receive up to 10 years in prison.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.