Sentencing was handed out in a local homicide case Wednesday morning, 11 months to the day after an altercation between two men resulted in the death of one and arrest of the other.

Christopher Kaylon Stanton, 20, reached a plea agreement - including a guilty plea to reckless homicide - stemming from a 2023 confrontation which resulted in the stabbing death of 24-year-old Dakota Whipple. 

The agreement settled a total of five cases pending against Stanton, including three misdemeanor offenses and two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Details of the case provided by District Attorney General Chris Stanford, and court documents, describe how on the night of July 5, 2023, Stanton and Whipple had a confrontation at Stanton’s residence, which was located on a Hardaway Street property from which Whipple had previously been banned. Stanford explained evidence indicated the two fought, with Stanton reportedly struck twice by Whipple, who also reportedly pushed Stanton’s girlfriend to the ground before Stanton retrieved a knife and stabbed Whipple to death.

During Wednesday’s court appearance, Stanton was sentenced to two years in prison served at 100 percent for the reckless homicide charge, with the following eight to be spent on state supervised probation as a result of the two counts of assault. The misdemeanor cases, including three counts of driving on a suspended license, simple possession, and a light law violation, were also closed as a result of the plea agreement.

“He agreed to serve a mandatory two-year sentence for reckless homicide,” said Public Defender John Partin, who represented Stanton. “Consecutively to that, he pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated assault, and was given four years supervised probation for each of those. So the effective sentence, through this negotiated resolution, was two years in Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) custody, followed by eight years of supervised probation, for a total of 10 years.”

Stanford explained the facts surrounding Stanton’s case, as well as the initial charges and his office’s decision to offer the plea agreement.

“Homicide charges were brought against Stanton because the evidence suggested that Stanton did not suffer or reasonably fear serious bodily injury or death despite the admittedly provocative actions of Mr. Whipple that night,” he said. “In order for Stanton to have prevailed on a claim of self-defense at a jury trial, 12 jurors would have been required to agree that the State failed to meet its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Stanton did not act in self-defense, under Tennessee law. Given the State’s high burden of proof regarding the self-defense issue and the facts of this case as alluded to above, I made the decision to offer Stanton a plea deal that secured a lower-level felony homicide conviction – Reckless Homicide.”

Stanford added his office is pleased with Wednesday’s plea agreement, feeling justice was served in a case which possibly may have resulted in no punishment had it gone before a jury.

“When the facts of cases like this one pose significant challenges for the prosecution, certainty of guilt through a negotiated plea agreement is often times in the best interest of the safety of our community, holding defendants accountable and promoting respect for the law,” he said. “In the event that this case had proceeded to a jury trial, and the jury returned a not-guilty verdict due to the facts of the case in light of the defense’s anticipated self-defense argument, justice would not have been served. The victims surviving family members would receive no closure or solace in a not-guilty verdict. Stanton would not have been held accountable for his crime. 

“Also, our community would be less safe with Stanton on the streets and without probation supervision upon his release from prison, had the case gone to a jury trial and the jury returned a not-guilty verdict. 

"As such, I am pleased with the outcome of this prosecution. Justice was served, Stanton was held accountable, and our community is safer because Stanton will pay for his crime in prison followed by eight years of felony probation. This lengthy period of supervision on State probation also gives further assurances of safety for the community.”

Stanford concluded his thoughts on Wednesday’s sentencing by expressing his gratitude to law enforcement, as well as his condolences to the Whipple family.

“I want to thank investigators with the McMinnville Police Department and my office for their hard work,” he said. “Many hours went into this investigation and your hard work paid off. Thank you.

“Finally, my heart goes out to Mr. Whipple’s surviving family members. Their hearts are broken. Please join me in praying for their peace and comfort.”