Princeton, West Virginia

From the Bluefield Daily Telegraph of February 9, 2006

Robertson not guilty of murder

After more than seven hours of deliberation, a Mercer County jury decided a Princeton man shot his son-in-law in self defense. Jerry Lee Robertson, 49, was accused of killing his son-in-law, Aaron Paul Lowe, 26.

Lowe was allegedly inside Robertson’s home, a house where Lowe also once lived, at the time of the fatal shooting. What happened inside the house on Sept. 10, 2005 remained a key point of contention between the state and the defense throughout the trial that started Tuesday in Circuit Court Judge Derek Swope’s courtroom.

During the proceedings, Prosecuting Attorney William Sadler and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler said Robertson planned the shooting. They argued that Lowe was family, that he had a right to be in the house, and the only movement he made before he died was toward the door, and not Robertson.

The prosecution also argued that Robertson had the gun in advance, and loaded it in advance, therefore making the murder premeditated.

Meanwhile, Robertson’s attorney, Joe Harvey, argued that Robertson was simply defending himself against Lowe. With a history of past altercations, Harvey said his client had reason to fear for life and saw no other choice but to pull the trigger the day Lowe died.

Harvey also stated that Robertson, who suffers from neck and back injuries, was defending himself and his house. Considering his size, standing at 5 feet, 3 inches tall, Harvey said he turned to a gun for protection.

Testimony from Robertson’s preliminary hearing indicated that Lowe had been sitting on the couch when he was shot and may have removed his baseball cap and laid it on the couch.

Just after the shooting, Robertson allegedly told Det. Sgt. C.N. Poe of the Princeton Police Department, that Lowe was no good, and had “broken in on me.” When informed that Lowe was not yet dead, Robertson allegedly told Poe, “I must have missed.”