By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
A Sacramento Superior Court jury today acquitted Michael Bruce Weisz of second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter in the hit-and-run killing of a security guard at a midtown nightclub two years ago.
The seven-woman, five-man panel did convict the 24-year-old Weisz of felony hit-and-run in the early morning Sept. 23, 2009, death of Leroy Berry Fisher III, 64. He faces a maximum of four years in prison on that count.
Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard ordered that Weisz remain in custody. She scheduled his sentencing for April 15.
Weisz ran over Fisher with his 2005 Scion after he had been kicked out of the Badlands club on K Street.
After his ejection from the bar, Weisz admitted in his testimony that he threw a cup of water at Fisher.
He said he then doubled back to the bar to get his automobile when Fisher confronted him in the parking lot behind the bar and jolted him with his "stun pen" electric device.
According to his testimony, Weisz said he never knew he hit Fisher. The collision came while Fisher struggled with a friend of the defendant who was trying to get into Weisz' car.
"It just absolutely confirms my belief that there is a God," Weisz' mother, Penny Davis, said of the verdict.
Defense attorney Donald Masuda said that Fisher's application of the stun pen precipitated the events that led to the security guard's death.
"I think in reality what happened is that Mr. Fisher is probably a great guy and was a great guy, but he just made a mistake," Masuda said. "He shouldn't have Tazed him. When he Tazed him, it just changed the whole playing field."
Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco declined to comment after the verdict. Fisher's wife and other relatives also declined to comment.
Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.
KCRA: Verdict in for midtown hit-and-run
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