Man Who Killed Former NFL Player Joe McKnight Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

Ronald Gasser, the man who killed Joe McKnight, will spend the next three decades behind bars.

Joe McKnight.
Getty

Image via Getty/Scott Cunningham/Contributor

Joe McKnight.

In Dec. 2016, former USC Trojans star and NFL running back Joe McKnight was shot and killed in a road-rage incident outside New Orleans.

The man who killed McKnight, 56-year-old Ronald Gasser, was indicted on a second-degree murder charge and recently found guilty of manslaughter. He faced a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

Sentencing was announced Thursday. Gasser will serve 30 years, according to TMZ. The jury elected to charge Gasser with manslaughter, a lesser charge, rather than second-degree murder. They reportedly deliberated for more than seven hours on Jan. 26.

McKnight was 28 when he died. His mother Jennifer gave a statement before sentencing was announced.

"That day, you didn't have to do that," she said to Gasser. "That didn't have to happen. It hurts. It's going to hurt a long time."

The mother of McKnight's 8-year-old son also gave a statement to the court.

"It will be my life's mission to make sure my son, Jaiden, doesn't grow up with hate for you," Michelle Quick said, addressing Gasser. "Not because you don't deserve it, but because he should not have hate in his heart."

Gasser will reportedly appeal the 30-year sentence. His team previously attempted to file a motion for a new trial—they claimed Gasser was acting in self-defense—but it was rejected.

McKnight, a five-star recruit out of high school, was a dynamic player for the Trojans. He went on to play in the NFL with several teams, including the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, from 2010 to 14.

Latest in Sports