Interesting self-defense case near me

[another okie]

http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=130680&c=87

There are other stories at that site, as well as at

miaminewsrecord.com

I know both the defendant and the DA, but haven't asked either one about the details of the case.

The deceased clearly attacked the defendant while the defendant was in his car. There was plenty of physical evidence to support that, including bruises on the kid's face and clothing fibers on the deceased's shoes. One local police officer testified for the kid that his actions were reasonable.

The defendant denied there was any road rage on his part. He says he was just driving along talking on the cell phone.

I think there are several reasons why the DA filed murder charges, though I wouldn't have. The DA is not anti-gun, though his loose comment sounds that way.

1. The kid was underage so it was illegal for him to have a firearm in the truck.

2. The deceased's spouse said both parties escalated the road rage. (Defendant denies this.)

3. The defendant's family are not very popular, for reasons I won't go into here.

4. The defendant probably lied in claiming it was essentially an accident that the gun went off, though he had to reach for it, point it at the defendant, and pull the trigger.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

District Attorney Eddie Wyant told the jurors during his closing arguments "this is a prime example of why you shouldn't bring a gun to a fistfight."

I'd say the DA has it backwards -- good example of why you should bring a gun to a gunfight. Not much else in the article.

 

[El Tejon]

This is complete fiction. Everyone on THR knows that you cannot get into any trouble using violence against a fellow human being. Problem #2 is a figment of El Tejon's imagination.