A Traverse County teenager accused of fatally stabbing another teen during a fight at a party early Friday in Browns Valley later claimed self-defense, according to court documents.
The Traverse County Sheriff's Office said 17-year-old Andre Kampeska died at the Coteau Des Prairies Hospital shortly after the incident.
Prosecutors in Traverse County on Wednesday charged the suspect, a 17-year-old boy from Browns Valley, with two counts of 2nd-degree murder and one count of 1st-degree manslaughter in connection with Kampeska’s death.
According to the juvenile petition, a witness told investigators the suspect and Kampeska were at a residence in Browns Valley for a party when the incident happened.
The witness said she was visiting Kampeska’s mother at her apartment that night while her 15-year-old brother was at the party. She and Kampeska’s mother went to the party after Kampeska asked his mother to pick him up, according to the petition.
The witness said several people were drinking alcohol inside a detached garage, where Kampeska was arguing with the suspect when they arrived.
According to the petition, the witness said Kampeska began to punch the suspect and the two began fighting. At one point, they lost their balance and fell down and Kampeska, who was on top of the suspect, was pulled off by the suspect’s brother, she said.
“[Suspect’s brother] reported that prior to pulling [Kampeska] off of [the suspect] he heard [Kampeska] say that he was done fighting and had stopped struggling with [the suspect],” the petition details.
The witness, her 15-year-old brother and Kampeska then left with Kampeska’s mother and drove back to the apartment.
On the way, the 15-year-old boy noticed Kampeska had a bloody nose and a lot of blood on his shirt. He asked where the blood came from and Kampeska said he didn’t know.
According to the petition, the witness said Kampeska collapsed as they all exited the vehicle at the apartment building.
Inside, Kampeska went to sit down in a chair in front of the elevator. Shortly after he sat down, he fell off of the chair and the witness called 911 and reported Kampeska was blue and wasn’t breathing.
She performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, the petition states.
Around 2:18 a.m. Friday, the manager of the Valley View Apartments in Browns Valley called 911 to report a group of intoxicated individuals, including at least two minors, who were “not supposed to be in the building,” according to the petition.
The building manager told dispatch that one minor had passed out in the hallway.
An ambulance crew arrived at the scene soon after and discovered Kampeska was suffering from an apparent two-centimeter stab wound to the upper right chest.
A deputy arrived on scene as Kampeska was being taken out of the building and that’s when police heard a description of the events from the witness.
Several law enforcement agencies from the area were sent to the suspect’s home. and called all occupants out of the home with their hands up.
The suspect’s mother had exited the home as soon as the deputy arrived on scene and was already in custody at this time, according to the petition.
The suspect then exited the home with a knife clipped to his right front pocket.
He was ordered to drop the knife, which was collected as evidence, according to the petition. While being escorted to the squad vehicle, the suspect allegedly said he only carries the knife for defense.
He then allegedly mentioned Kampeska’s name and said: “I used it.”
According to the petition, the suspect in a later interview with investigators admitted to stabbing Kampeska and claimed it was self-defense.
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