BOSTON, March 13, 2015—An Everett man has been sentenced to prison after he pleaded guilty to stabbing 44-year-old Corey Thompson eight times, killing him, during a physical altercation in Boston’s South End two years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

CHRISTOPHER W. POWELL (D.O.B. 5/2/73) today pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Thompson’s Feb. 25, 2013, stabbing death and was sentenced by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Fahey to seven years in state prison.  Prosecutors had indicted Thompson for second-degree murder and were scheduled to take the case to trial next week.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Craig Iannini would have presented evidence and testimony to prove that Powell stabbed Thompson with a pocket knife during an early-morning fight underneath the I-93 overpass in the area of Traveler and Albany streets.

Because Thompson was killed on State property within the City of Boston, the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit led the investigation. They recovered footage from surveillance cameras showing Powell, Thompson, and another man arguing near Thompson’s car in the area of East Berkeley Street near the I-93 Overpass in the South End.  Witnesses variously recounted hearing the men arguing about money and seeing Thompson chasing Powell along Harrison Avenue.

The pursuit ended in the area of Traveler and Albany streets, where Thompson caught up with Powell and beat him.  There, the evidence would have shown, Powell pulled out a pocketknife with a three-inch blade and stabbed Thompson repeatedly before fleeing over a chain link fence.

Thompson’s body was located by a passerby at 8:30 that morning.  The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Thompson suffered eight knife wounds – two deep stab injuries to the heart and lung, and incisions to the chest, abdomen, back, groin, arm, and hand.

Blood was later found on the exterior of the victim’s car and a chain link fence near where Thompson’s body was found.  Both DNA samples were matched to Powell, prosecutors said.  Powell made post-Miranda statements to State Police detectives admitting that he had stabbed Thompson but claimed he acted in self-defense.

Jennifer Sears was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate.  Thompson was represented by Michael Bourbeau.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.