https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2024-10-11/airman-found-not-guilty-of-murder-in-stabbing-death-of-german-man-near-spangdahlem-air-base-15475058.html >SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany — A court-martial jury on Friday found Airman 1st Class Grant Harrison not guilty of unpremeditated murder after witnesses gave conflicting testimony about a confrontation between two airmen and Michael Ovsjannikov, who was stabbed to death near his home. The verdict came following deliberation that began Wednesday evening. Harrison, a transient aircraft journeyman with the 726th Air Mobility Squadron, also was found not guilty of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon and obstructing justice. He faced a maximum punishment of life in prison and had been confined at the military jail in Sembach since Aug. 20, 2023, one day after Ovsjannikov’s death. Airman 1st Class Grant Harrison is seen in a mirror selfie, which he posted to his X social media account. Harrison, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, was acquitted of unpremeditated murder and other charges after a court-martial. Airman 1st Class Grant Harrison takes a selfie that he later posted to his X social media account. The Spangdahlem Air Base airman was found not guilty of unpremeditated murder and other charges following a court-martial verdict on Friday. (Grant Harrison via X) Ovsjannikov, 28, was a high-level martial arts athlete who was well-known in the community, according to testimony. When the verdict was read, the victim’s family members displayed little reaction. Others sitting in the gallery behind the defense table cried quietly. Government prosecutors told the jury in closing arguments Wednesday that the murder charge against Harrison boiled down to “who had the knife” the night Ovsjannikov was killed, calling several witnesses who testified to seeing Harrison with a knife in the hours preceding Ovsjannikov’s death. Harrison, 26, confessed to the stabbing in his initial interviews with law enforcement, lawyers for the defense and government acknowledged while discussing a procedural matter with military judge Col. Jennifer Powell. The confession was suppressed in an earlier ruling, according to the discussion, and the jury was never made aware of it during the proceedings. The murder weapon was described as a Benchmade black folding knife that was found in the daylight hours after Ovsjannikov’s death in the Lieser River, underneath a bridge that led back to Harrison’s residence in Wittlich. The knife still had Ovsjannikov’s blood on it.