ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – An Ithaca man is going back to court for a second-degree murder charge.

According to the Ithaca Voice, Autreyu Massaline rejected a plea deal on August 27 that would have reduced the charge to manslaughter and carried a 12- to 18- year prison sentence.

The case stems from the fatal stabbing of 54-year-old Edward Warren in July 2025. The incident began after Warren allegedly threatened and harassed Massaline’s pregnant fiancé, Kaciana Camel, while she walked the couple’s 2-year-old daughter in a stroller in the 200 block of Elmira Road.

Warren believed Camel had stolen his bicycle and allegedly used racist and threatening language. Camel and other witnesses called 911, but Massaline arrived before police and stabbed Warren, who was later pronounced dead at a trauma center.

During his first trial in May, Massaline’s attorney argued that he acted in self-defense. He was acquitted on a charge of tampering with evidence, but a mistrial was declared after a jury failed to reach a verdict on the murder charge.

A retrial is scheduled to begin October 23.