National Football League

Florida man gets life in prison for fatally stabbing Bears fan

Published Jan. 12, 2014 8:33 a.m. ET

foxsports

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 29-year-old Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a visiting Chicago Bears fan at a bar before a football game in 2012.

Matthew Reid Hinson, a Navy veteran, pleaded guilty last May to killing William Pettry. Authorities say Hinson slashed 42-year-old Pettry's neck with a pocket knife. Police say Pettry and a friend were talking to Hinson's wife before the stabbing happened.

Hinson apologized to Pettry's family Friday, saying he drank too much and made a "terrible judgment call."

Defense attorneys argued he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from living on a submarine. An expert for the prosecution argued Hinson's primary issue was alcohol abuse.

The Florida Times-Union reports Pettry, a married father of three, was in town to watch the Bears play the jaguars.