The Hatboro barber who was just acquitted of first and third-degree murder charges is starting to settle into his newfound freedom.
Maurice Byrd, 42, owner of Razor Reese’s Salon and Spa, 226 N York Road, Hatboro, spent nearly a year in prison as he stood trial for the shooting death of a man amid an alleged racially charged attack.
"There was always a feeling of, 'We have a strong case.' We have the truth on our side. We have the facts on our side, and we also have the law, but you never know," Byrd said in an interview with 6 ABC.
"My head is still spinning, but day by day it gets better," he added.
The trial centered around a verbal and physical altercation between Byrd, and his neighbor, Stephen Strassburg, 37, of Hatboro.
Police said they responded to the location three times for verbal altercations since 2022.
According to police, on the day of the shooting, Byrd called 911 and reported he was being verbally assaulted by Strassburg, who was allegedly using racial slurs. Byrd also said Strassburg grabbed his shirt and looked like he was about to punch him.
That's when the 911 dispatcher reported hearing five gunshots, a pause, and then two more.
The criminal complaint in this case said Strassburg was shot three times, and after the shots were fired, Byrd said, "I just had to shoot him."
The jury found Byrd acted in self-defense when he opened fire amid the attack. He gained his freedom on Thursday, nearly 10 months later.
"Verbal is verbal, and physical is something different. Once it becomes an escalation from verbal to physical then that's when things can happen," Byrd told Action News.
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