Placer County DA Will Not File Charges In Fatal Rocklin Stabbing

ROCKLIN (CBS13) - A 20-year-old Rocklin man who stabbed another man to death at a house party in July will not face criminal charges. The stabbing was done in self-defense, according to Placer County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Wilson.

Zachary Kachmar, 20, was at the Rocklin home of 51-year-old Robert Earl Vickney, Jr. on July 13 when he accidentally broke a shot glass. Vickney, who was reportedly heavily intoxicated, got angry and attacked Kachmar, who was seated. Vickney began to choke Kachmar, and as Kachmar was beginning to lose consciousness, reached for a knife that was lying nearby and stabbed Vickney in the chest.

Kachmar is 5-feet-9 inches tall and Vickney was 6 feet tall and 220 pounds.

Kachmar's mother, Natalie, found out something was wrong when police arrested Zachary at their home on a murder charge.

"It's been terrifying hearing the news that somebody in the community has been killed, and my son being involved," she said.
On July 16, the murder charge was dropped and Kachmar was released.

In a statement issued Monday, Wilson said: The death of Robert Vickney was truly an unnecessary and avoidable tragedy. His death was a result of the irresponsible consumption of alcohol combined with a volatile temper and the complete absence of a sober or mature influence to control an escalating situation."

Vickney's death is the first homicide in Rocklin since 2007.