RSS Feed
November 9th, 2020 
Awake Goy 
Convicted in Oklahoma state court for first degree manslaughter after fatally shooting his daughter’s boyfriend, a former Tulsa police officer was recently charged with first degree murder in federal court. The former cop appealed his 15-year sentence in state prison after the Supreme Court’s decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma in July.
In August 2014, off-duty Tulsa
Police Officer Shannon Kepler watched his daughter and her boyfriend,
nineteen-year-old Jeremey Lake, from his SUV before approaching them on the
street. According to Kepler, the off-duty officer acted out of self-defense
when he opened fire at Lake and fatally shot him.
But according to Lake’s aunt, her
nephew was reaching out to shake Kepler’s hand to introduce himself when Kepler
fired several rounds at him. Although Kepler told investigators that Lake was
armed, no weapon was found at the scene.
In October 2017, Kepler was
convicted on one count of first degree manslaughter after jurors in three
previous trials could not decide whether to find him guilty of Lake’s murder.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In July, the Supreme Court ruled in
McGirt
v. Oklahoma that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s original reservation
boundaries were never legally disestablished, meaning the
state doesn’t have criminal jurisdiction on the land
as it pertains to the Major Crimes Act. As a member
of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Kepler appealed his case based on the Supreme
Court’s McGirt decision.
On Friday, the Justice Department
announced that Kepler has been charged in federal court with first degree
murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.
“Nineteen-year-old Jeremey Lake’s
life was senselessly cut short in 2014 when Shannon Kepler allegedly shot and
killed him. A jury convicted Mr. Kepler in state court, but the McGirt decision
has impacted his conviction. The need to pursue justice remains. The United
States Attorney’s Office will now ask a federal jury to convict Shannon
Kepler,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores in a recent press
release. “Our victim specialists are communicating with Jeremey’s family
and will be with them every step of the way as this case moves forward in
federal court. Our prosecutors have worked hand in hand with our partners at
the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office to ensure this young man and his
family experience a full measure of justice.”
In response to the federal charges, Kepler’s attorney, Richard O’Carroll, released the following statement on Friday: “The U.S. Attorney is making a mistake. Mr. Kepler has already been through four jury trials and a direct appeal. He was acquitted of murder in state court. Now the U.S. Attorney thinks it’s OK to again charge murder with a firearm enhancement? We will be moving to dismiss for due process violations.”
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
