A Pennsylvania man is facing several criminal charges after allegedly stabbing a man in what police say was a minor drug deal that escalated into a major altercation.

According to State College police reports, the incident began with an alleged drug deal between the girlfriend of the defendant and the alleged victim, a 20-year-old man. Later that night the defendant, also a 20-year-old man from State College, went over to the victim's house, demanding payment for the marijuana that had allegedly been sold to the man by the defendant's girlfriend earlier that night.

When the second man refused to pay the $25 he reportedly owed, the two began to fight, striking one another with fists and baseball bats.The fight escalated, according to witnesses and the defendant, when the alleged victim was on top of the defendant, pinning him to the ground and choking him.

To protect his life, the defendant allegedly grabbed a knife and stabbed the other man in the neck. He and his girlfriend then fled the scene. They called 911 from a nearby church parking lot, where officers later found the knife used in the fight, according to police reports. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Now, the defendant is facing charges of first-, second-, and third-degree murder, as well as aggravated assault and felony robbery. His girlfriend was also charged with felony robbery and drug charges. He is being held without bail in the Centre County jail until his first preliminary hearing later this month.

Source: Centre Daily Times, "Police say marijuana theft led to fatal stabbing," Mike Dawson, Jan. 18, 2012