Several witnesses testify in Michael White trial

PHILADELPHIA - Five different prosecution witnesses testified Friday about the altercation that lead to the fatal stabbing of Sean Schellenger in the summer of 2018. 

Four of the witnesses that took the stand told the jury that Schellenger lunged at the knife-wielding White and tackled him before being stabbed.

"Sean came towards [White] and bear-hugged him," one witness said.

"Knife out, charged, stab. That's how fast it happened," another witness said.

Only Schellenger's friend, Uri Jacobson, who was with Sean on the night of the stabbing, testified that the two men rushed at each other.

"I saw two guys ready to challenge each other," Jacobsen said.

The cell phone video of the incident appears to show Schellenger lift White off the ground, at which time White begins the stabbing motion.

There is no disputing that Schellenger was intoxicated on the night of his death. The defense has painted him as an aggressive drunk and brought Phillip Birchfield to the stand as their first witness. Birchfield, a bouncer, told jurors he and two other security officers battled to remove a drunk and belligerent Schellenger from a Florida bar back in 2008.

Birchfield showed the jury bite marks from Schellenger still visible on his arm 11 years later.

Jurors were promised that White will take the witness stand Tuesday on his own behalf for a potentially case-altering trial day. White and the defense argue that Schellenger hurled racial epithets at White, but so far none of the witnesses have corroborated this claim.