photo credit: Noah Abrams/KRCB

Self-defense.

That was essentially the verdict handed down Monday, following the fatal stabbing at a Santa Rosa high school earlier this year.

After nearly two weeks of testimony, the now-16-year-old student who fatally stabbed another teen during a fight in a Montgomery High School art classroom was found to be justified by a Sonoma County juvenile court judge.

In an over-capacity courtroom at Los Guillicos Juvenile Justice Center, the judge acknowledged the toll the case has taken on the families and allies of both the defendant and deceased, all of whom sat nervously in the cramped and divided courtroom.

Lamenting the tragic loss of life from the March 1st classroom fight, the judge explained his reasons for choosing not to sustain a felony voluntary manslaughter charge, the juvenile court equivalent of an acquittal.

The judge pointed to evidence showing the premeditated nature of the attack, instigated by the now deceased student, a junior at Montgomery High School at the time.

The judge did sustain a charge of felony weapon possession against the teen. The defense did not dispute the defendant's illegal possession of a knife on school grounds.

The defendant remained in custody due to that ruling.

The teen's defense attorney, Jonathan Steele, spoke outside the courtroom following the decision.

"I think that the judge showed a lot of courage in doing the right thing," Steele said.

Speaking for close to 30 minutes about the case's many caveats, the judge called the decision one of his most difficult.

And despite concerns expressed to him that an acquittal could be seen as a "green light" for more violent behavior, he said the law and the facts of the case made for a clear decision.

Steele, as the judge did, offered condolences to the deceased's family for their loss, and looked to the future.

"I hope out of all this that there can be some real positive changes made in the school system and Montgomery High School in particular," Steele said.

An attorney for the deceased's family and the prosecution declined to comment in the immediate aftermath of the decision.

In it's immediate aftermath in March, the fatal fight sparked a wave of student protests at Sonoma County schools, and rekindled debates over the role of law enforcement on local school campuses.