Jury acquits man on attempted murder charges after struggle with ex-wife

A San Francisco jury acquitted an 81-year-old man charged in the attempted murder of his ex-wife, according to a news release issued Monday by the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.

Damien Alvarez was acquitted of all charges, which stemmed from an incident June 3, when he and his ex-wife struggled over a knife that he was trying to prevent her from stabbing him with, according to Deputy Public Defender Martina Avalos.

She said:

“While this was a distressing incident for both parties, it is clear that Mr. Alvarez was not the aggressor in this situation. … He and his family have long suffered various forms of physical, emotional and financial abuse at the hands of his ex-wife.”

Avalos said the jury deliberated for three days and returned a verdict of not guilty on attempted murder, not guilty on attempted manslaughter, and hung 7-5 in favor of innocence on three assault charges.