Breaking from WCME News 9: Murder Conviction Upheld

Kelley

24 May Breaking from WCME News 9: Murder Conviction Upheld

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the murder conviction of 73-year-old Merrill Kimball, convicted last year in the 2013 shooting of Leon Kelley (pictured), who lived in Georgetown. The shooting happened at a bee farm in North Yarmouth.

The high court rejected Kimball’s major argument that the trial judge failed to properly instruct the jury that Kimball was driven to extreme anger or fear after being physically assaulted by Kelley and should have been convicted of manslaughter instead of murder.

This decision means that Kimball, a lobsterman with no prior criminal convictions, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.