BY KATE MCCARDELL
FLORIDAN STAFF WRITER
Published: June 26, 2009
At approximately 5p.m. Thursday, a jury found Paul Eric Fuder not guilty of one count of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
“The jury considered all of the evidence and came back with a right and just verdict,” defense attorney John Young Roberts said.
Fuder was accused of fatally shooting Belinda Marshall, 36, on Sept. 11, 2008 in Kynesville. Arising from the same incident, he was also accused of the attempted murder of Richard Nelson Jeffries and his own brother, Kevin Ryan Fuder.
The defense claimed Fuder fired shots in self-defense. The prosecution claimed Fuder “brought a pistol to a fist fight.”
The incident began at Midget’s Bar near U.S. Highway 231 with a bar brawl involving many patrons, including the Fuder brothers, Marshall and Jeffries.
It ended at Kynesville Highway and Standland Road, where Marshall died at the scene. Jeffries was shot and partially paralyzed, and Kevin Fuder suffered seven bullet wounds.
Closing arguments focused heavily on the number of bullet holes found at the scene versus the amount of bullets Fuder could have had in his 9mm.
The defense claimed there was another gun involved, fired by someone other than either of the Fuders.
Assistant state attorney Stan Peacock argued that Paul Fuder’s gun was outfitted with a clip that contained a large enough number of bullets to account for all of the bullet holes at the scene. Such a clip was never gathered as evidence.
After the verdict was read, Fuder’s family became emotional.
“Tell the kids their daddy’s coming home,” one woman cried into a phone.
Those who sided with the prosecution appeared unhappy with the verdict, but did not stay to comment.
For more on this story, read the Sunday edition of the Jackson County Floridan.
FLORIDAN STAFF WRITER
Published: June 26, 2009
At approximately 5p.m. Thursday, a jury found Paul Eric Fuder not guilty of one count of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
“The jury considered all of the evidence and came back with a right and just verdict,” defense attorney John Young Roberts said.
Fuder was accused of fatally shooting Belinda Marshall, 36, on Sept. 11, 2008 in Kynesville. Arising from the same incident, he was also accused of the attempted murder of Richard Nelson Jeffries and his own brother, Kevin Ryan Fuder.
The defense claimed Fuder fired shots in self-defense. The prosecution claimed Fuder “brought a pistol to a fist fight.”
The incident began at Midget’s Bar near U.S. Highway 231 with a bar brawl involving many patrons, including the Fuder brothers, Marshall and Jeffries.
It ended at Kynesville Highway and Standland Road, where Marshall died at the scene. Jeffries was shot and partially paralyzed, and Kevin Fuder suffered seven bullet wounds.
Closing arguments focused heavily on the number of bullet holes found at the scene versus the amount of bullets Fuder could have had in his 9mm.
The defense claimed there was another gun involved, fired by someone other than either of the Fuders.
Assistant state attorney Stan Peacock argued that Paul Fuder’s gun was outfitted with a clip that contained a large enough number of bullets to account for all of the bullet holes at the scene. Such a clip was never gathered as evidence.
After the verdict was read, Fuder’s family became emotional.
“Tell the kids their daddy’s coming home,” one woman cried into a phone.
Those who sided with the prosecution appeared unhappy with the verdict, but did not stay to comment.
For more on this story, read the Sunday edition of the Jackson County Floridan.
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