After a long deliberation, a jury yesterday (Thursday) found Ricky Dehate guilty of voluntary manslaughter for the death of Robert Knott in Alexandria’s West End.
Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Wade gave the jury additional instructions yesterday to consider charging Dehate with voluntary manslaughter, in addition to the second-degree murder charge that the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office sought.
Dehate pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for beating the 54-year-old Knott to death in September 2023 at a bus stop in the 2500 block of N. Van Dorn Street.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter’s office will seek the harshest punishment possible for the voluntary manslaughter charge, which is 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine, he told ALXnow.
The punishment for second-degree murder is five-to-40 years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine.
“While this was not the outcome we hoped for, I respect the jury’s decision, which is arrived at after evaluating the evidence very carefully,” Porter said. “I thank the jurors for their service. My office intends to seek a significant penalty at the sentencing of this matter.”
Dehate’s attorney, Mike Hadeed, argued his client was delusional and experiencing a psychotic episode when he punched and kicked Knott on the night of Sept. 11, 2023. Knott died of his injuries two days later at Inova Alexandria Hospital.
“I’m very happy with the way the court process here in Alexandria has worked in this case,” Hadeed said. “I must commend the court, the judge and the Commonwealth’s Attorney, for their professionalism with respect to my client. While a finding of insanity may have enabled him to have a not guilty result, he has had an opportunity to have treatment while in custody, so he’s been hospitalized. These mental health issues can’t be ignored. I think, from my perspective as a defense attorney, it’s a good opportunity for him to continue to seek treatment that he needs to the extent he’ll have any further incarceration, and I hope he does.”
The prosecution admitted video of the assault taken from an apartment complex security camera across the street. The video showed Dehate and Knott, both experiencing homelessness at the time, sitting on a bench at the bus stop. Dehate then stood up and punched Knott repeatedly until he collapsed on the ground.
Dehate walked away from the scene with a shopping basket and returned three times to kick Knott on the ground.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys David Lord and Meghan Prieto.
Dehate, who is being held in the Alexandria jail, will be sentenced Feb. 12, 2026.
