PINEVILLE, Mo. -- A McDonald County jury says a man who killed his son-in-law was justified. James Patterson, 51, of Noel was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action for shooting Marty Reece five times on Sept. 7, 2009.
A McDonald County jury returned verdicts of not guilty on both counts on Thursday. The judge in the case dismissed a charge of attempted second-degree murder against Patterson's wife for insufficient evidence.
Patterson's lawyer argued during the trial that Patterson was defending himself, his wife and his daughter when he shot the 32-year-old man. Reece and Patterson's daughter were in the midst of a divorce at the time of the shooting.
