A Camano Island man accused of stabbing a man to death was released from jail this week after the prosecutor declined to file charges.

Island County Chief Criminal Prosecutor Eric Ohme said he hasn’t made a final charging decision but is waiting until the investigation is complete. He explained that there’s evidence that both suggests and disputes a claim that 19-year-old Gabriel Birch acted in self defense in stabbing to death Thomas McKnight, 24, on Feb. 20.

“If he is able to produce evidence of self defense at trial, it is up to the state to then prove the absence of self defense beyond a reasonable doubt,” Ohme said. “At the filing deadline, with the information available at the time, I didn’t believe that I could disprove self defense beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Birch appeared in Island County Superior Court Monday. Judge Vickie Churchill found that probable cause existed to hold Birch on suspicion of first-degree manslaughter and set his bail at $150,000.

A Camano Island woman called 9-1-1 in the morning of Feb. 20 to report that Birch stabbed and killed her son, 24-year-old Thomas McKnight, during an altercation. Birch was dating the woman’s daughter and was living at the house. A 13-year-old child also lived there; McKnight had been staying in recent weeks.

Birch said the incident occurred during an argument. McKnight grabbed Birch’s ex-girlfriend by the face. Birch grabbed a knife and yelled at McKnight to leave her alone.

McKnight grabbed Birch by the front of the neck and held his hand back like he was going to punch him; Birch’s ex-girlfriend was trying to pull McKnight back at the same time, according to the police report.

Birch said he stabbed McKnight in the chest three times, the detective wrote in a report. McKnight got up, walked out of the bedroom and collapsed in the hallway, where he died.

Birch allegedly told a deputy that he was sorry and did not mean to kill McKnight, according to the report.