Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Chatanooga, Tennessee



From Knoxville’s WVLT-tv of February 2, 2005
Man found not guilty in shooting death



A Grundy County jury has found a man innocent of fatally shooting his brother-in-law.



Twenty-three-year-old Gary Cantrell of Monteagle had been accused of second-degree murder for shooting and killing Fabian Byers.



Defense attorney Howell Clements called the incident "a classic case of self-defense."



Clements said the men met in the parking lot of a grocery store and Cantrell though Byers was reaching for a gun inside his car. His attorney said Cantrell pulled a gun from his own glove compartment and shot Byers.



Prosecutor Mike Taylor says it appears the jurors based much of their verdict on Byers' reputation. Several witnesses testified Byers had threatened his wife, who is Cantrell's sister, by holding a gun to her head.



Cantrell's attorney said Byers had also threatened his client.

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