Man cleared of killing house party guest who was fatally stabbed in heart
A 38-year-old man has been cleared of killing Rommell Holding who was fatally stabbed at a house party.
Mr Holding, from Dudley, was stabbed in the heart with a steak knife at a property in Newbury Lane in Oldbury on September 11, 2022. He died in hospital from complications on September 25 despite efforts to save him.
The prosecutions's case was that Colin Phipps attacked Mr Holding during a brief altercation in the kitchen because he was annoyed that male guests were dancing and flirting with his girlfriend.
Phipps, of Minister Close, Rowley Regis, who always said he acted in self defence had denied manslaughter.
At the original trial held in June last year Phipps was accused of Mr Holding's attempted murder. The jury could not reach a verdict concerning attempted murder and the Crown Prosecution Service was granted a retrial held last month for the lesser charge of manslaughter.
But following the retrial at Wolverhampton Crown Court the new jury was unable to reach a majority verdict on which at least 10 of them were in agreement and it was discharged on January 26.
