Something is not hearsay when there's an actual witness to the incident and they testified under oath to that effect. Ramirez himself wasn't the one with the gun, but someone else in his group did pull it on Allison during the after party. No one is going to feel more safe just because one of the minions of the bully pulled a gun and not the bully himself. When someone corners you in a bathroom, and then attacks you, you have no clue what's going to happen next. You are kidding yourself, if you think it wouldn't be a natural instinct to go for a weapon in that situation. That's heat of the moment. What Anthony did was not. He was asked to leave, refused, dared anyone to make him and used that knife exactly how he intended even when not even threatened in any way. That's the kind of stuff that will get you 35 yeras if you plead self defense.