Man gets 10½ years in fatal stabbing

A man who fatally stabbed an acquaintance in February 2018 at a Vancouver AM/PM was sentenced Wednesday to 10 1/2 years in prison.

Charson Lotius, 25, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree manslaughter in the death of 27-year-old Lukas Pison. He originally faced charges of first-degree murder and second-degree assault before reaching a plea deal with the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

At about 1:20 a.m. Feb. 11, 2018, Vancouver police were called to the AM/PM at 1800 N.E. Andresen Road for a disturbance with a weapon. When they arrived, Pison was found lying in the parking lot with a knife in his head, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Lotius was found hiding in the tree line west of the gas station and appeared to have blood on his white shirt and right thumb, the affidavit said.

Video surveillance from the gas station showed that Lotius charged at Pison as the man backed away and tried to kick him to keep him away, according to the affidavit. But Lotius swung a large kitchen knife and stabbed Pison in the head, causing him to drop to the ground and become motionless, the affidavit said.

The knife penetrated 4 inches into Pison’s forehead, damaging both sides of his brain, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said Wednesday. The attack rendered Pison “brain dead” when he arrived at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where he later died, according to court records.

In an interview with detectives, Lotius admitted to trying to hurt Pison, an acquaintance, but said he couldn’t remember exactly what happened or if he had a knife because he was drunk, according to the affidavit. Lotius said he was scared for his life but couldn’t explain why, the affidavit said.

Suevyann Bossy, Lotius’ girlfriend who was present during the incident, told detectives she drove Lotius and her uncle, Fisianty Bossy, to the AM/PM. She said Lotius and her uncle saw Pison and greeted him. But after a man — who was with Pison and appeared to be drunk — emerged from the store, an argument broke out, according to the affidavit. While Pison did not threaten Lotius and was unarmed, Bossy said she witnessed Lotius stab Pison, the affidavit said.

Pison’s nephew, Kastro Pison, then 19, said that after Lotius stabbed his uncle, he began chasing Lotius, according to the affidavit. Kastro Pison was then struck in the head with a tire iron that police later located next to Lotius in the tree line, the affidavit said. Kastro Pison suffered a laceration above his right eye that required sutures.

For first-degree manslaughter, Lotius faced a standard sentencing range of 78 to 102 months in prison. He was given the most severe sentence in the range, along with a two-year deadly weapon enhancement to run consecutively.

“The evidence eventually showed that all of these individuals were intoxicated,” Vu said Wednesday.

Lotius agreed to alcohol and anger management treatment in the plea deal. He also waived any claim of self-defense, Vu said.

“Clearly, this was a case that was very serious, very traumatic and very tragic,” Vu said.

Lotius’ defense attorney, Jeff Barrar of Vancouver Defenders, said both sides of the altercation were armed as tensions rose and they began approaching each other. What started the fight remains unclear, Barrar said.

“It’s, unfortunately, a case where both sides didn’t look at other options,” Barrar said.

Both Lotius’ and Lukas Pison’s families were present Wednesday.

Pison’s sister, Cindy Pison, said the incident has been hard for the family, but she also sympathized with Lotius.

“We know that he was drinking,” Cindy Pison said. “Everybody makes mistakes.”

Lotius, through a Chuukese interpreter, told Judge Gregory Gonzales that he is not a bad person.

“I would like to offer my thanks and appreciation to the victim’s family for what they have done for our family,” Lotius said.

Gonzales told Lotius he acknowledged his statement, the fact that he pleaded guilty and his intoxication at the time.

“You were not a good person the date of this death,” Gonzales said. “But more importantly, the strength that the victim’s family has shown and the courage is amazing, and that should provide motivation from this day forward to make your life worth something.”