Court denies appeal in Krystiniak death

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld Eric Freeman's manslaughter conviction in the death of Jonathan Krystiniak.

Krystiniak was beaten to death outside a downtown Grand Rapids bar in January 2008.

Freeman, the only one of five defendants in the case to go to trial, argued that the prosecutor in the case misstated testimony during closing arguments. He also said there was no evidence he intentionally aided or abetted the crime.

A three-judge panel of appeals judges disagreed in a decision released Wednesday.

They said testimony was consistent with the prosecutor's theory that Freeman punched a friend of Krystiniak in order to prevent Krystiniak from getting help.

And the three wrote, "the evidence supports a reasonable inference that defendant, by punching Krystiniak's friend ... aided the assault on Krystinaik by preventing [the friend] from intervening."