Connecticut man convicted of killing roommate with samurai-like sword after rent quarrel

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Connecticut man has been convicted of killing his roommate with a samurai-style sword after a dispute over rent. Jurors delivered their verdict Friday. They found 45-year-old Jerry David Thompson guilty of murder in the 2020 stabbing death of Victor King. The Hartford state’s attorney’s office says Thompson owed rent on his room in King’s downtown Hartford home, and King was trying to evict him. The Register Citizen of Torrington says the 45-year-old Thompson represented himself at trial and filed papers maintaining that the state had no jurisdiction over him. A message was sent Friday night to an attorney who was appointed to advise Thompson during the trial.