Man accused of sword slaying pleads not guilty by reason of insanity

Matthew McKnight is accused of killing Kyle Brown in Greenville on Nov. 16
cc commons photo of gavel

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

cc commons photo of gavel

A 48-year-old man has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after police said he stabbed and killed a man with a sword last November in Darke County.

Matthew McKnight, 48, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday, according to Darke County Common Pleas Court records.

Matthew Earl McKnight. Photo courtesy of Darke County Jail

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On Nov. 16, 2024, crews responded to reports of a stabbing at apartments in the 600 block of Walnut Street in Greenville around 9 p.m.

Court documents revealed that a Greenville Police Department lieutenant found Kyle L. Brown, 35, lying on the ground and surrounded by blood after McKnight had reportedly stabbed him with a large sword.

CareFlight transported Brown to Miami Valley Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

McKnight was arrested after police said he confessed to the crime, and was taken to the Darke County Jail.

He filed a motion for a competency evaluation at the end of November and was ruled competent to stand trial, according to court documents.

After his not guilty by reason of insanity plea this week, McKnight was ordered to Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio by a Darke County judge. They will evaluate McKnight’s sanity at the time of the slaying.

The jury trial scheduled for Feb. 18 and 19 has been vacated and will be rescheduled once the evaluation of sanity has been completed, according to court records.

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