LABADIEVILLE — A pack of cigarettes cost a local man his life and could send his step grandfather to jail for 40 years, authorities said.

William Thompson, 63, of Labadieville pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter following the 2015 stabbing death of Daquan Rainey, 20, of LaPlace.

Judge Jessie LeBlanc presided over the matter that began Feb. 17, 2015, when Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Violet Street in Labadieville to investigate a man seen unresponsive in the driveway of a home.

Deputies identified the victim as Daquan Rainey, and paramedics with Acadian Ambulance evaluated his condition, with authorities shortly after pronouncing him dead on the scene.

Rainey sustained a single stab wound to the upper torso.

The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office eventually determined the stab wound severed Rainey’s pulmonary artery.

Investigators determined Rainey was stabbed by his step grandfather, Thompson, following an argument over a pack of cigarettes, according to District Attorney Ricky L. Babin’s office.

A release from the D.A.’s office said the knife used in the stabbing was found in the bed of a pick-up truck parked in the yard of Thompson’s residence, leading to Thompson’s arrest.

Assistant D.A. Thomas Daigle prosecuted Thompson. The D.A.’s office said Thompson faces up to 40 years in state prison during a sentencing hearing tentatively set for Sept. 5. In his ruling this week, Judge LeBlanc deferred sentencing pending a pre-sentence investigation.

Thompson remains incarcerated in the Assumption Parish Detention Center.

Following the assault on Rainey, Sheriff Mike Waguespack said it was determined the victim had recently moved to Assumption Parish with relatives.

Waguespack reported Thompson confessed to detectives that he stabbed the victim inside a home after a verbal and physical altercation over cigarettes.

After the stabbing, the victim ran outside and collapsed, the Sheriff’s Office said.