Man found guilty in former father-in-law's stabbing death

PITTSFIELD, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois jury has found a Missouri man guilty of stabbing his former father-in-law to death.

Charles Allen faces between 20 and 100 years in prison for the first-degree murder conviction in the March death of 65-year-old Donald Collard. A sentencing hearing for the 45-year-old Allen is scheduled for March 18.

The Herald-Whig reports that jurors took about four hours to reach their decision Friday following a week-long trial.

According to testimony, the two men began fighting that night when Allen arrived at Collard's home to pick up one of his daughters. Allen testified that Collard grabbed his throat and hit him in the face through the open window of his pickup truck.

Allen, 45, said he grabbed his knife to defend himself and didn't mean to kill the older man.

Prosecutors said Collard was stabbed four times in the chest and argued that the wounds showed Allen did intend to kill him. They told jurors that Collard wasn't armed and had told his wife to call police when Allen arrived, indicating he didn't go out to the truck planning to attack Allen.

"These stab wounds were evident of deliberate actions taken by Mr. Allen," Pike County State's Attorney Zachary Boren said.