BATON ROUGE - Though police know who did it, there have been no arrests yet in the stabbing death of Kyle Coleman; that's because the person who allegedly stabbed him may have been acting in self defense.

Coleman was stabbed early Monday morning on North Ardenwood Drive. He drove himself to a different address, where he died on scene.

No names have been released but sources tell the WBRZ Investigative Unit the person who stabbed him is a former romantic partner.

"In situations like this, quite often, you see a history of domestic abuse, and it could be a situation where the defendant possibly is a victim," public defender Steve Sterling said.

A look at the couples history in court shows why.

Coleman had been arrested at least twice before, once in 2024 and once in 2025, for domestic violence with child endangerment, kidnapping and attempted murder charges involving the woman.

In those cases, Coleman was able to plead guilty to lesser charges and was given a suspended sentence and probation by Judge Brad Myers.

That's because the woman, who was the victim in these crimes, asked for certain charges to be dropped both times.

"It is difficult to prosecute these cases because guess what happens? You may hate me today, we may fight today, but tomorrow we're in love and holding hands."

In the arrest from June of this year, the victim was left with visible cuts on her face and a swollen eye.

Sterling says it's more common than you'd think for victims to want to drop charges, but that the DA's office often chooses to prosecute anyway and then have to work with the hand they're dealt.

"Sometimes a plea agreement is the best result, and most often, it is what the victim wants. Sometimes the DA is put in a precarious position where they are forced to resolve the case in that manner because they can't go forward."

it's increasingly the result of fewer and fewer financial resources, Sterling says.

"If the money's just not there, if there's no manpower, if there's no services, if there's no programs to facilitate and help to resolve or prevent some of these problems, then again, this is what will happen."

At the time he was stabbed, Coleman was on probation and had a revocation hearing in January for violating the conditions of his probation when he got arrested in June.

Baton Rouge police are awaiting the results of his autopsy before they make a decision on if the person who stabbed him will be facing charges.