HankT
State Researcher
imported post
Here's another case.
Good shoot? Self-defense? Overreaction? Murder?
If it was a good shoot, why does the guy run away and ditch the guns?
Defendant in Midtown murder case wins acquittal
Friday, August 28, 2009
By GARY McELROY
Staff Reporter
Christopher Cunningham, who claimed self-defense after shooting Daniel McGee eight times with two revolvers, was acquitted of murder Thursday by a Mobile jury.
The not guilty verdict followed nearly five hours of deliberations over two days.
"It is always sad when someone dies this way," defense attorney Jeff Deen said after the verdict. "But unfortunately, the deceased brought the problem on himself, and Christopher, just like anyone else in this country, has the right to defend himself when he reasonably believes someone is about to kill or seriously injure him."
According to testimony before Circuit Judge Robert Smith, McGee died March 28, 2008, when Cunningham fired at least eight shots from two .38-caliber pistols during a confrontation at a small Midtown apartment complex near the intersection of Florida and Emogene streets.
Cunningham, an offshore worker by trade, testified that prior to the shooting, McGee often physically threatened him and demanded money that Cunningham didn't owe.
Cunningham said that on the day of the shooting, McGee struck him with a pistol while vowing to kill him.
Cunningham, 27, had never been in trouble with the law, Deen told jurors.
Throughout the trial, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Rich argued that Cunningham was in no way justified in killing McGee, even after the victim "slapped" him right before the shooting.
The two pistols involved were found within a few blocks, where Cunningham had tossed them, he said, after panicking and driving away.
According to forensics testimony, one of the pistols was traced to a 1983 purchase by Cunningham's grandfather.
The other pistol was traced back to an Arizona gun dealer.
It was that gun, Deen argued, that McGee used to threaten Cunningham.
After emptying his own gun, Cunningham said, he started firing McGee's.
http://bama.live.advance.net/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1251450959136610.xml&coll=3
Prosecution: Murder over $20 debt
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
By GARY McELROY
Staff Reporter
On a Friday night in 2008, Christopher Cunningham shot Daniel McGee eight times with two pistols over a $20 debt, prosecutors said Monday as Cunningham's Mobile murder trial began.
McGee, 25, was hit twice in the head, three times in the chest and once in the back, along with other wounds, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Rich told jurors.
Rich said McGee had been owed the $20, although she did not explain why.
But defense lawyer Jeff Deen said the $20 was far from a debt. Instead, he suggested that McGee was a neighborhood "bully" who demanded that Cunningham pay for "the right to live" in a small apartment complex near the intersection of Emogene and Florida streets.
Deen described Cunningham, 27, as a "peaceful, law-abiding citizen" who shot McGee in self-defense.
Rich acknowledged that McGee slapped Cunningham with his hand. But the slap did not justify killing McGee, and the multiple gunshots were no example of self-defense, the prosecutor said.
The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. March 28, 2008.
Deen said that McGee was harassing Cunningham earlier that afternoon.
Cunningham ignored the taunts, Deen said, but later grew worried when he went out for a doctor's appointment. He said that Cunningham retrieved a .38-caliber pistol from a storage unit.
As he returned from the appointment, Deen said, McGee approached wielding his own .38-caliber revolver and struck him with it through the window of the sport utility vehicle that Cunningham was driving.
When Cunningham fired at McGee, Deen said, McGee's gun dropped inside the SUV. In a panic, he said, the defendant picked it up and kept firing.
Cunningham drove off, surrendering to police a few days later.
Cunningham tossed the two guns, Rich said, but investigators quickly found them, one along nearby railroad tracks and the other near the intersection of Florida and Dauphin streets.
The trial before Circuit Judge Robert Smith was expected to conclude today.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1251191730326350.xml&coll=3
Here's another case.
Good shoot? Self-defense? Overreaction? Murder?
If it was a good shoot, why does the guy run away and ditch the guns?
Defendant in Midtown murder case wins acquittal
Friday, August 28, 2009
By GARY McELROY
Staff Reporter
Christopher Cunningham, who claimed self-defense after shooting Daniel McGee eight times with two revolvers, was acquitted of murder Thursday by a Mobile jury.
The not guilty verdict followed nearly five hours of deliberations over two days.
"It is always sad when someone dies this way," defense attorney Jeff Deen said after the verdict. "But unfortunately, the deceased brought the problem on himself, and Christopher, just like anyone else in this country, has the right to defend himself when he reasonably believes someone is about to kill or seriously injure him."
According to testimony before Circuit Judge Robert Smith, McGee died March 28, 2008, when Cunningham fired at least eight shots from two .38-caliber pistols during a confrontation at a small Midtown apartment complex near the intersection of Florida and Emogene streets.
Cunningham, an offshore worker by trade, testified that prior to the shooting, McGee often physically threatened him and demanded money that Cunningham didn't owe.
Cunningham said that on the day of the shooting, McGee struck him with a pistol while vowing to kill him.
Cunningham, 27, had never been in trouble with the law, Deen told jurors.
Throughout the trial, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Rich argued that Cunningham was in no way justified in killing McGee, even after the victim "slapped" him right before the shooting.
The two pistols involved were found within a few blocks, where Cunningham had tossed them, he said, after panicking and driving away.
According to forensics testimony, one of the pistols was traced to a 1983 purchase by Cunningham's grandfather.
The other pistol was traced back to an Arizona gun dealer.
It was that gun, Deen argued, that McGee used to threaten Cunningham.
After emptying his own gun, Cunningham said, he started firing McGee's.
http://bama.live.advance.net/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1251450959136610.xml&coll=3
Prosecution: Murder over $20 debt
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
By GARY McELROY
Staff Reporter
On a Friday night in 2008, Christopher Cunningham shot Daniel McGee eight times with two pistols over a $20 debt, prosecutors said Monday as Cunningham's Mobile murder trial began.
McGee, 25, was hit twice in the head, three times in the chest and once in the back, along with other wounds, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Rich told jurors.
Rich said McGee had been owed the $20, although she did not explain why.
But defense lawyer Jeff Deen said the $20 was far from a debt. Instead, he suggested that McGee was a neighborhood "bully" who demanded that Cunningham pay for "the right to live" in a small apartment complex near the intersection of Emogene and Florida streets.
Deen described Cunningham, 27, as a "peaceful, law-abiding citizen" who shot McGee in self-defense.
Rich acknowledged that McGee slapped Cunningham with his hand. But the slap did not justify killing McGee, and the multiple gunshots were no example of self-defense, the prosecutor said.
The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. March 28, 2008.
Deen said that McGee was harassing Cunningham earlier that afternoon.
Cunningham ignored the taunts, Deen said, but later grew worried when he went out for a doctor's appointment. He said that Cunningham retrieved a .38-caliber pistol from a storage unit.
As he returned from the appointment, Deen said, McGee approached wielding his own .38-caliber revolver and struck him with it through the window of the sport utility vehicle that Cunningham was driving.
When Cunningham fired at McGee, Deen said, McGee's gun dropped inside the SUV. In a panic, he said, the defendant picked it up and kept firing.
Cunningham drove off, surrendering to police a few days later.
Cunningham tossed the two guns, Rich said, but investigators quickly found them, one along nearby railroad tracks and the other near the intersection of Florida and Dauphin streets.
The trial before Circuit Judge Robert Smith was expected to conclude today.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1251191730326350.xml&coll=3
