Former Baker skateboards' top-seeded professional skateboarder Terry Kennedy was acquitted Friday of charges he murdered his close friend Josiah Kassuhan by punching him in the head and accidentally hitting his fellow skater's head on the ground.
UPDATE: Terry Kennedy’s New Mugshot Released, Parole Expected on July 8, 2026
According to Daily Herald, Kennedy was, however, found guilty of two counts of aggravated battery. DuPage County Judge Michael Reidy issued a written ruling. The bench trial took place in late September.
The 37-year-old was charged with 1st-degree murder and was facing life in prison. Prosecutors said Kennedy punched Kassahun in the head in the parking lot of an Oakbrook Terrace hotel on July 27, 2021. Kassahun fell, striking his head on the pavement.
After Kassahun was unconscious and knocked out cold, Kennedy still kicked him as he lay on the ground, prosecutors said.
Kassahun had internal injuries, a fractured skull, a broken orbital bone, and bleeding on his brain. He underwent emergency surgery but died four days later.
TK's lawyers argued that to be convicted of murder, prosecutors had to prove that he had to know beforehand that throwing a single punch "created a strong probability" of causing death or great bodily harm, per the charge.
The Viva La Bam Compton ass Terry star remains in the DuPage County jail, awaiting sentencing on the aggravated battery convictions.