Man Whose Punch Led To Friend's Death To Face Voluntary Manslaughter Trial In Sonoma Co.

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – An Oregon man, whose friend fell and died after he punched him during an argument in July, was ordered this morning to stand trial on a felony voluntary manslaughter charge.

Bruce Lee Eyles, 30, a mixed martial artist, got into an argument with his friend Isaac Sturtevant, 31, on Klute Street near downtown Santa Rosa on July 31. Both men are from Eugene, Oregon.

Testimony during Eyles' preliminary hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court on Wednesday and the Santa Rosa Police Department's account of the incident indicated the men quarreled when Eyles took Sturtevant's hat and Sturtevant then grabbed Eyles' glasses.

Sturtevant also angered Eyles by making disparaging comments about Eyles' deceased mother and threw an orange at Eyles from a few feet away, leaving a red welt on the side of Eyles' body.

Eyles then almost simultaneously punched Sturtevant once in the face. Sturtevant fell, striking his head on the ground, and died at the scene.

Deputy District Attorney Carla Rodriguez argued for a voluntary manslaughter charge, while Eyles' defense attorney Tyler Hicks argued for an involuntary manslaughter charge, saying Eyles acted in self-defense.

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Jamie Thistlethwaite postponed her ruling until this morning, when she upheld the voluntary manslaughter charge, which calls for up to 11 years in prison instead of up to four years for involuntary manslaughter.

Thistlethwaite said there were no grounds for a self-defense argument in the case. The judge ruled Eyles acted with conscious disregard of human life when he punched Sturtevant and was aware his punch could be
devastating.

Hicks disagreed.

"If someone hits you and you hit back, that's a natural reaction, not a conscious disregard of human life," Hicks said after the ruling.

Rodriguez said Eyles' criminal history includes a first-degree assault in Oregon that sent a victim to a hospital, DUI and criminal trespassing.

Eyles is scheduled to re-enter a plea to the charge on Oct. 12.

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