A Putnam County Circuit Court upheld a Cookeville man’s assault conviction for stabbing a Tech student in 2015, according to a decision released March 7.
The court affirmed the trial court properly denied defendant Michael Kevin Schipp’s request to give jurors instructions on self-defense because there was not enough evidence to support that claim, according to court records.
Schipp was charged on May 19, 2015 with one count of burglary of an automobile and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to court records.
Tech student Marshall Thurman reportedly saw Schipp breaking into his roommate’s car and confronted him. Thurman was stabbed during the altercation. He was hospitalized with a punctured lung and a stab wound, according to court records.
In his appeal, Schipp argued his activity did not completely bar a self-defense claim.
