Former Cop Gets Sentenced To 25 Yrs -- Was He Wrongully Convicted?

[Biff_Poindexter]

Ex-Oklahoma police officer gets 25 years for 2014 killing

Shannon Kepler, a 24-year police veteran, was charged in Tulsa, Okla., on Monday with killing Jeremy Lake, 19, and also with shooting with intent to kill at his daughter Lisa Kepler, 18, in August 2014.

www.dailymail.co.uk

"A former Oklahoma police officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2014 killing of his daughter's boyfriend after using department records to run a background search on him. Shannon Kepler, 61, a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of Jeremey Lake, who was 19 years old when Kepler killed him. Kepler was found guilty in federal court last April after four previous trials in state court failed to land the veteran cop in prison -- Kepler's first three murder trials ended with hung juries.

He was convicted of manslaughter in the fourth trial and given a 15-year prison term, but the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned that conviction based on a ruling that found that Oklahoma lacks jurisdiction for crimes that happen on tribal reservations."

So it seems the first 3 trials ended in a hung jury -- which must mean that this case is not as clear cut as this conviction may indicate...it could be that he was targeted by Biden's DOJ for political purposes...What did he do? Well, the story goes that Kepler used his position as a cop to gather information on Lake (who was dating Kepler's daughter) -- and used that information to allegedly hunt down and murder Mr. Lake...He drove up on Lake and Kepler's daughter while they were out walking with friends...Kepler attempted to talk to his daughter, she turned him away to go back to the house...Witnesses claim Lake attempted to introduce himself to Kepler and Kepler shot Lake twice in the chest..and then shot 3 more times at the other witnesses, including his own daughter...then fled the scene....

Now, he lucked up when a previous judge dismissed the charges he faced for firing his gun at the other kids, including his daughter -- but he made the crucial mistake of fleeing the scene -- instead of staying and cooperating with his fellow police officers...especially since he is making the case that it was self defense...Despite claims that Lake had a gun, no gun was found at the scene and witness testimony -INCLUDING HIS OWN DAUGHTER -- contradict Kepler...but I assume it was tough for the jurors to believe that a police officer would ever murder an innocent person -- it's a lot easier to believe Lake and the others attacked Kepler and attempted to shoot him -- and Kepler defended himself....However, was it wrong for Biden's DOJ to step in on this case??

 

[Penelope]

The courts found that Kepler took his 18-year-old daughter to a homeless shelter a week before the shooting, and left her there after taking away her cellphone and leaving her with no change of clothes or money.

He then logged into her Facebook, where he noticed that she changed her status to “in a relationship” with Lake. He used his access to police databases to research the boy’s criminal records.

He planned, days after tapping into her social media, to confront Lake at the address he secured from the police database. He put on dark clothes and got into his wife’s dark car to go to where Lake was staying, securing a loaded revolver in the waistband of his pants.

He waited for him, however, after seeing his daughter approaching with the young man, he shot twice hitting Lake both times in the chest. He then turned and shot in the direction of his daughter, Lake’s brother, and a third person.

After Fifth Trial, White Oklahoma Ex-Cop Sentenced to 25 Years After Stalking, Gunning Down Daughter’s Black Boyfriend

A former Tulsa police officer was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of killing his daughter’s boyfriend in 2014. Despite being convicted […]

www.yahoo.com

-----------------------------------------------

Yes he was guilty.

 

[Grumblenuts]

Indeed, but his laws of planetary motion were truly astronomical!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Not enough information, but if no weapon was found on the scene, then he had to have had something in his hand that looked like a gun to justify the shooting. His daughter was 19 so she was a legal adult and he had no business stalking her. I would say guilty.

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

Not enough information, but if no weapon was found on the scene, then he had to have had something in his hand that looked like a gun to justify the shooting. His daughter was 19 so she was a legal adult and he had no business stalking her. I would say guilty.

His hands alone could be the weapon....I don't know the guy's physical stature, but if he was 19; it is pretty safe to say he was a strong young buck....and if he was there with other strong young bucks -- that is reason enough to fear for your safety

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

His hands alone could be the weapon....I don't know the guy's physical stature, but if he was 19; it is pretty safe to say he was a strong young buck....and if he was there with other strong young bucks -- that is reason enough to fear for your safety

Perhaps but that has to be proven in court. I'm a CCW carrier here in my state and our laws pretty much reflect those of other states. Our law is "A CCW holder is legally allowed to use deadly force to protect themselves or others if the holder believes that there was a threat of serious bodily harm or death." Again, most states have this law. They apply to citizens and they apply to police officers.

To bring charges against the shooter, a prosecutor would have to have evidence that was not the case. However also in our state, a legally armed person cannot accost somebody and be the aggressor. The armed person must avoid confrontation whenever possible. I don't know what the laws are over there, but I'd be willing to bet they are similar.

Guns are for self-defense,not to have the upper hand in a dispute.