A Labor Day gathering in Hazel Park, Michigan, turned deadly when an argument over how to cook the chicken allegedly ended in a stabbing. Kenneth Erwin Thomas, 60, was hosting the barbecue with his live-in girlfriend when her brother, 62-year-old Cleo Lawson, joined them. Police say the two men fought about grilling technique, and Thomas died at the scene.
Lawson has been charged with second-degree murder. He was arraigned last Thursday and is being held without bond. Authorities have not released further details about what was said in the moments before the stabbing.
For those of us on the Suncoast, backyard cookouts are a way of life. We debate grouper versus snapper, charcoal versus gas, and whether the sauce goes on before or after. Those debates are part of the fun. This case is a reminder that escalation can happen anywhere, even at a family table on a holiday. If you’re firing up the grill this weekend, what’s the one cookout rule you never break?
