Marin Man Who Killed Brother Sentenced to 5 Years

San Rafael, CA — A Mill Valley-area man was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for killing his brother a year ago at the home they shared with their mother.

Johnson Gibbs, 42, was convicted by a Marin County Superior Court jury of the involuntary manslaughter of Allison Gibbs, 43, and use of a firearm, Chief Deputy District Attorney Rosemary Slote said. The jury acquitted him of murder.

Marin County sheriff's deputies found Allison Gibbs with a gunshot wound to the chest when they arrived at the Gibbs' residence on Bay View Terrace in Strawberry in unincorporated Marin County around 12:30 a.m. on June 17, 2015.

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During an interview, Gibbs admitted shooting his brother, Marin County sheriff's Lt. Jamie Scardina said after the slaying.

Defense attorney Carl Gonser said Johnson Gibbs testified he picked up a gun to protect his mother and himself when he heard a noise and came down a narrow flight of stairs in the middle of the night.

Gibbs testified his brother came around a corner and the gun went off accidentally when he fell backwards, Gonser said.

"This was a family tragedy. The Gibbs family supported the defendant," Gonser said.

Gonser asked Marin County Superior Court Judge Andrew Sweet to sentence Gibbs to probation. The prosecution asked for a 14-year prison term.

— Bay City News Service

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