A Paris man was convicted in the shooting death of a former
Dresden businessman last week in Henry County Circuit Court.
According to the an article appearing in the Paris Post
Intelligencer, as well as other sources, the jury trial in
which Billy Clay Browning, 36, of 906 Riggins Street in
Paris was accused of shooting his nephew, 44-year-old Kerry
Browning, on February 26, 2002, began Thursday, January 25
and ended Saturday, January 27. After deliberating a little
over 2 hours, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of
first-degree murder.
After the jury was selected Thursday morning, both the
prosecution and defense presented opening arguments to the
jury.
Robert “Gus” Radford, former District Attorney for the 27th
Judicial District, argued the case for the prosecution
during the trial, while public defenders Jeff Fagan and Andy
Clark served as Browning’s defense attorneys.
Radford said that the .22 caliber revolver that Browning
used to shoot his nephew required him to cock the weapon
each of the five times he fired it. Radford stated that four
of the five bullets struck Kerry Browning, with one bullet
going into his arm and then into his chest cavity. Another
bullet entered his chest and two rounds went into his head.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a cold-blooded, intentional,
premeditated murder,” Radford said. “He did it knowing what
he did and knowing he was looking at jail time, but doing it
for love supposedly. The state will prove the murder was
committed without provocation.”
Radford went on to recall the circumstances of the case,
saying that Kerry Browning was visiting his uncle, John
Browning, and Billy Browning, the adopted brother of John
Browning. While at John Browning’s home, Billy Browning came
in and began making allegations that Kerry Browning had
mistreated the woman living with him (Mary Morris). Radford
stated that Kerry Browning did not know that Billy Browning
had taken John Browning’s revolver to his home.
Although John Browning has died since the murder, his
statements given to police were entered into testimony
during the trial by the prosecution. John Browning stated
that Kerry Browning suggested to Billy Browning that they
should go to Billy’s house to work this out with Mary
Morris, because the things he was accusing him of never
happened.
Radford stated that, at this time, Kerry Browning went to
Morris’ house and she invited him in.
John Browning said that Billy Browning left approximately
five minutes later, headed to the woman’s house.
Radford stated that when Kerry Browning entered Morris’s
house, her two children were in the living room as well.
Kerry Browning requested that the two children go to their
bedroom, because he would like to speak with her about the
accusations Billy Browning had made.
Mary Morris’ testimony was that when Billy Browning entered
the house, he came in through the back door, and she did not
see any weapon at that time. She stated that Billy Browning
then went into a bedroom and re-entered the living room with
his hands behind his back, and that he was yelling and
screaming about her being raped and mistreated by Kerry
Browning.
During testimony, Morris said she told Billy Browning, “That
never happened Billy. I never told you anything like that.
It’s all in your head. He would never hurt me.” Mary, who
says that she was seated on the couch at the time, stood up
and stepped one leg over the coffee table to ask Kerry to
leave so Billy could calm down. She said that as Kerry
started to leave, he turned back toward her and said, “Mary,
if I have ever hurt you or said anything to hurt you, I am
sorry. I never meant to.”
At this time, Morris
said she heard a click and looked toward Billy, who pointed
a gun toward Kerry and shot him. She stated that as Kerry
lost his balance, Billy shot him a second time in the living
room, and pursued the wounded man into the kitchen area,
where he fell on the floor. She stated that Billy then shot
Kerry in the head twice. Kerry ultimately ended up in a
field behind Morris’s house.
(Read the rest of the story in the
January 31st print edition of the
Dresden Enterprise!)
