Arizona man sentenced for killing his best friend

KINGMAN, Ariz. — A Lake Havasu City man was sentenced Monday to 8 years in prison for killing his best friend and injuring the friend’s sister in October, 2013.

Johnathan Kroll, 27, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault by domestic violence. His friend Brandon Bonnett, 23, was found stabbed to death in the garage of the home they shared in the 1800 block of South Rainbow Avenue. Bonnett’s sister, who was 19 at the time, was dating Kroll. Their relationship was the focus of a fight between Kroll and Bonnett, according to Lake Havasu City police. Bonnett’s sister’s leg was slashed when she tried to intervene.

The stabbing victims’ mother told the court that her daughter is scarred by guilt and trauma and that the family is overwhelmed by the loss of Bonnett. More than a dozen family members and friends attending the sentencing hearing wore t-shirts displaying images of Bonnett.

Defense attorney Vincent Iannone urged Mohave County Superior Court Commissioner Billy Sipe to consider that Bonnett was high on methamphetamine and twice instigated the fight.

“What you have in this case is a defendant bringing a knife to a fistfight,” responded prosecutor Kimberly Aune.

Kroll also was ordered to pay more than $5,000 in restitution.