2011 Murder Charges Now Manslaughter Charges for Stamford Man

A Stamford man who ultimately had murder charges from a 2011 stabbing incident dropped has been again indicted in the crime, this time facing a manslaughter charge, according to Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin. 

Rayon Rodary Hines, 34, of Court St., was charged with murder in the death of then 16-year-old Romario Marchant, of Bronx Blvd. in the Bronx, NY, following an incident that took place at Michael F. Lione Park.

According to Conklin, Hines allegedly stabbed Marchant, a Jamaican teen who was part of a dance troupe, following a dispute over a soccer game.

Marchant was taken to Stamford Hospital following the stabbing, where he asked for help, collapsed into a wheelchair and passed away without any identification on his person, Conklin said.

While interviews were conducted with witnesses at the scene, those individuals soon went missing, and attempts to contact them at the numbers and addresses provided proved fruitless, said Conklin. 

An intense search was conducted to find the witnesses and recently, Conklin said, police were able to locate them. After finding the witnesses, it was arranged for Hines to turn himself over to authorities Saturday morning, January 26th, 2013.

Hines was charged with first-degree manslaughter and issued a $75,000 bond, which he posted, according to Conklin.

Conklin said a number of factors were considered when issuing a diminished charge and relatively low bond, including Hines availability to police and lack of traveling outside the jurisdiction since the incident. Additionally, new information has become available in the case which might change the light in which the scenario played out, Conklin said.