Woman found guilty of killing female track star after stabbing her through the heart outside Austin club

Kaitlyn Ritcherson, 21, fatally stabbed 21-year-old Fatima Barrie in brawl

The pair had been separately watching a concert at Republic Live bar

But fight broke out between two groups and Ritcherson stabbed Barrie



Huston-Tillotson student Barrie was biology student and decorated athlete

Ritcherson wailed 'Why? No, no' after verdict was read out in court



A Texas woman faces up to 99 years in prison after she was found guilty of murdering a decorated university athlete outside a nightclub with a single stab to the heart.



Kaitlyn Ritcherson, 21, fatally stabbed 21-year-old Fatima Barrie after a brawl spilled out of the Republic Live bar and into the street in Austin's famous party district in December 2011.

She had claimed Ms Barrie, a junior biology major and highly decorated track star at Huston-Tillotson University, attacked her with a mobile phone or a shoe before she lashed out in self defence.

Guilty: Kaitlyn Ritcherson (left), 21, fatally stabbed 21-year-old Fatima Barrie (right) in a brawl in December 2011. Miss Barrie was a junior biology major and highly decorated track star at Huston-Tillotson University

The pair, who didn't know each other, had both been watching a concert in the club with friends when a fight broke out between the two groups.

Ritcherson then pulled out the pocket knife, which she claimed she was only carrying to groom her hair extensions, and thrust it at Barrie, piercing her heart.

Barrie died later in hospital.

In tense moments after the verdict was read out, Ritcherson, who turned 21 last week, sobbed loudly, yelling, 'Why?' and 'No, no,' as her lawyers and family members embraced and attempted to console her.



Outside the courtroom, Barrie’s brother, Rodrick Watson, told reporters he believed justice was served.

The scene: The pair, who didn't know each other, had both been watching a concert in the Republic Live bar with friends in Austin, Texas, when a fight broke out between the two groups

Her conviction marks the end of a lengthy process that saw an initial trial thrown out after the jury reached deadlock by 11-1.

But this time the verdict was unanimous leaving Ritcherson to face a jail term of between five and 99 years.

Friends of both women offered varying testimony on what prompted the argument and who was responsible.

Ritcherson's attorney, Charlie Baird, said Barrie hit Ritcherson in the head and Ritcherson reacted in self defense.



'She was struck in the head with a cell phone, a shoe or a fist, it doesn't matter which, she has the right to be free from violence inflicted upon her by Fatima Barrie,' defence lawyer Charlie Baird told jurors. 'The only time Kaitlyn Ritcherson has a knife and stabs anybody is the third time she has been attacked or rushed or lunged at by Fatima Barrie.'

But the defense argued that Ritcherson never told any officials that she had been attacked

'You got to see her talking to the police and she never said I acted in self defense. Never gave any suggestion of it. Not only did she never say to the police I acted in self defense, she never suggested she needed to," said Travis County Attorney Gary Cobb.

During her closing, Travis County Attorney Meg McGee became emotional when quoting Barrie's mother.

'She had run her last race and I'm gonna miss her very much ,' said McGee. ' That's what you heard from Pat Davis.



'She sat with that beautiful scholarship daughter of hers for 17 days, waiting for her to die because of what the defendant did to her"Fatima Barrie was everything that Kaitlyn Ritcherson is not,' she exclaimed.'

Ritcherson will be sentenced on Saturday morning.



















