Ohio Man Convicted of Killing Prankster Says That He ‘Lost It’
A man on trial for the fatal shooting of a tomato-throwing prankster was found guilty of misdemeanor negligent homicide Friday and sentenced to time served.
Marion Weaver had been charged with murder, which could have meant a sentence of 18 years to life. The jury decided on the lesser charge after 4 1/2 hours of deliberation.
Weaver, 58, was found guilty in the Sept. 1 death of Steven L. Keim, 23.
Keim was among a group in a cornfield tossing tomatoes at vehicles, an annual prank in the rural area.
Weaver told two officers that after his car was pelted with tomatoes and paintballs, he drove home, got a shotgun and returned to the area.
Thinking the pranksters had left the cornfield, Weaver said, he fired into the air.
“I was frustrated. I lost it,” he testified. Weaver, who was friends with the Keim family, said when he learned of Keim’s death, “I was devastated. I had a heart attack.”
Assistant prosecutor Steve Knowling said Keim was hit by more than 100 pellets.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
