TULSA, Okla. – Jurors are deliberating in the trial of a former Oklahoma police officer who fatally shot his daughter's boyfriend while off-duty.
Deliberations began Friday afternoon in the third trial of Shannon Kepler after a judge ruled that jurors could consider a lesser charge of manslaughter in addition to a charge of first-degree murder.
Manslaughter carries a sentence of between four years and life in prison.
Authorities say Kepler shot 19-year-old Jeremey Lake in 2014, as Lake was walking with Kelper's then-18-year-old daughter.
Kepler says he fired in self-defense because Lake was armed, but police didn't find a weapon on Lake or at the scene. His attorneys say Kepler was trying to protect his daughter, who was staying in a crime-ridden neighborhood.
Jurors in Kepler's first two trials couldn't reach a verdict.
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