Fresno man found guilty of manslaughter in pot theft shooting case

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Phayvanh Dydouangphan was charged with first degree murder, but jurors found him guilty of the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors didn't get the first degree murder conviction they wanted, but the verdict still means Dydouangphan could spend the rest of his life in prison.

The 47-year-old Fresno man barely blinked as the court clerk announced the guilty verdict against him in his murder case.

Dydouangphan admitted he shot at a group of thieves as they drove away from his yard, killing Stanley Wallace.

Action News was there when police detained Dydouangphan for Wallace's death that morning in September.

Dydouangphan claimed self defense and jurors chose not to convict him of murder as a result, but his attorney says they should have gone further.

"If he's not guilty and the reason why is self-defense, then he should not in my opinion be found guilty of voluntary manslaughter," said Franz Criego.

The case against Dydouangphan was built around the testimony of the other people in the pickup truck with Wallace.

We're not allowed to show their faces because they could all face their own trials for theft. Action News asked Criego to talk about the people who testified against Dydouangphan in trial, the people who were stealing his marijuana.

"You mean the thieves and hooligans the district attorney's office, in order to get a conviction of voluntary manslaughter, granted immunity to, who still took the stand and did not tell the truth?" Criego responded.

Wallace's family and friends were in tears after the verdict, and they wouldn't talk on camera. Jurors deliberated the case for three days before reaching what prosecutors say was a good decision.

"This was a jury who cared about this case," said prosecutor Mike Frye. "They had some very difficult choices to make and ultimately I'm pleased with this verdict."

Dydouangphan will be sentenced next month. He faces a minimum of 25 years in prison, a maximum of life.