A Wahiawa man now faces a maximum 20-year prison term instead of a life sentence after a Circuit Court jury yesterday rejected a murder verdict and convicted him of the lesser offense of manslaughter.

Kerry Sanders, 40, was charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of Jonathan Nunes, 32, on California Avenue in Wahiawa in November 2004.

But Sanders' defense was that he was defending himself.

The jury deliberated for a total of more than two days before rejecting the murder verdict that Sanders intentionally or knowingly killed Nunes. Instead, the jury found that he recklessly killed the victim.

The murder charge carried a mandatory life term with parole.

Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto scheduled the sentencing for Nov. 8.

Sanders did not testify during the trial, but his defense relied on his statements to police that he never intended to kill.

His lawyer Keith Shigetomi said Sanders raised the knife with his left hand to fend off Nunes' punches.

Shigetomi said his client is 5 feet 6 and 160 pounds, while Nunes was 5 feet 10 and weighed 320 pounds.

The stabbing followed a dispute over Nunes trying to evict from his apartment his mother-in-law, who was Sanders' girlfriend.

City Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata asked the jury to return the murder verdict and cited Sanders' other statements to police that Nunes "walked into (the knife)."

Takata said the blade of the knife was 10 inches and the stab wound was 9.8 inches deep.

Takata said he will ask Sakamoto to impose the 20-year prison term.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.