True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

You are here: Home / Crazy / Vet Gets 80 Years in Fatal Fight Over Whether Army or Marines are Better

Vet Gets 80 Years in Fatal Fight Over Whether Army or Marines are Better

February 24, 2021 By HardBoiledNews Staff

Loading...

BILLINGS, Montana — A 69-year-old Army vet was resentenced to 80 years in prison following his second conviction in a brutal stabbing during a drunken argument over whether the Army or the Marine Corps are better.

William Earl Cunningham was first convicted of deliberate homicide in Montana in 2015 in the death of 40-year-old Nathan Horn, the year before.

The stabbing came after two nights of drunken arguments over which military branch was superior. Horn had claimed at the time to have served in the Marines, although he never did.

Ultimately Cunningham blew his top and repeatedly slashed Horn across his neck and face, killing him, authorities had said. Prosecutors said Cunningham had a long history of drunkenyl assaulting people with a knife. 

The Montana Supreme Court overturned Cunningham’s conviction and 80-year sentence in 2018, saying he was denied the chance to question the professional history and credibility of a state witness and not allowed to fully testify about why he was afraid of Horn. He testified he killed Horn in self-defense.

Cunningham didn’t testify at his retrial last summer.

Cunningham told a pre-sentence investigator that Horn’s death was an accident and that he believed he had served enough prison time.

Cunningham’s attorney asked for a 40-year sentence with 20 years suspended, which would have made Cunningham immediately eligible for parole. Prosecutors again sought the 80-year sentence.

Filed Under: Crazy, Drunk + Stoned, Featured Story Right, Montana

Follow Hard Boiled News

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

* indicates required

Most Wanted

  • Couple High on Drugs Open Fire On Fireflies They Thought Were Aliens
  • 88-Year-Old Florida Man Arrested for Setting Racoon on Fire for Eating His Mangoes
  • Man Admits Shooting Bald Eagle Because It Ate Fish From His Pond
  • Man Phoned in Fake School Shootings to Distract Cops While He Robbed Banks
  • Man Kills Gal Pal’s Ex-Hubby Over Dopey Prank Gone Awry
  • Indiana Cannibal Deemed Fit to Stand Trial in Gruesome Slaying, Eating of Ex
  • Missing Scam Artist’s Foot Found on Remote Australian Beach
  • Female Florida Teacher Busted Having Affair With 8th Grade Boy
  • Fighting Bird Kills Owner in Illegal Cockfight in India
  • Drive-Thru Bar Owner Busted for Hiring 16-Year-Old to Dance for Patrons In Bikini

Copyright © 2023 · HardBoiledNews · Send Story Ideas · Contact Us