A man accused of stabbing an acquaintance to death at a Vancouver convenience store was arraigned Friday in Clark County Superior Court on charges of murder and assault.
Charson Lotius, 24, has been formally charged with first-degree murder and second-degree assault. Prosecutors have not altered the charges since his arrest.
Defense attorney Steve Rucker entered not-guilty pleas on behalf of Lotius during the brief arraignment hearing. A Chuukese interpreter spoke to Lotius throughout.
Vancouver police were called about 1:20 a.m. Sunday to the AM/PM at 1800 N.E. Andresen Road for a disturbance with a weapon.
Upon arrival, they found Lukas Pison, 27, lying in the parking lot with a knife in his head, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Medical staff at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center determined Pison was “brain dead” when he arrived at the hospital as a result of a stab wound. Pison died nearly 16 hours later, court records state.
Lotius swung at and stabbed Pison in the side of the head; he told investigators he knew the victim and was scared for his life but couldn’t remember what actually happened because he was drunk, according to the affidavit.
The assault charge against Lotius stems from him allegedly striking Kastro Pison, Lukas Pison’s nephew, in the head with a tire iron. Kastro Pison began chasing Lotius after the stabbing, court records said.
Superior Court Judge Scott Collier scheduled Lotius’ trial for March 26.
