GRETNA, La. — The man who fatally shot former NFL player Joe McKnight formally pleaded not guilty Monday to a second-degree murder charge.
Ronald Gasser, 55, of Terrytown, had initially been arrested on a manslaughter charge following McKnight’s Dec. 1 death. Last week, he was indicted on a second-degree murder charge, which carries a mandatory life sentence. He’s jailed on $750,000 bond.
“It was a case of justifiable homicide,” defense attorney Gerard Archer told reporters after a brief arraignment hearing at the Jefferson Parish Courthouse in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna.
Authorities have said the 28-year-old McKnight, who was black, and Gasser, who is white, were driving erratically and yelling at each other prior to the shooting.