After 3 Days, Jury Reaches Verdict in Royal Oak Murder Case

Updated at 3:45 p.m.:

Royal Oak, MI — An Oakland County jury has acquitted Kirk David Leach, 27 of open murder charges in the shooting death of his sister's boyfriend last fall, but found him guilty of a felony firearm charge.

The jury deliberated for more than three days, The Daily Tribune reports.

Our earlier report:

After three days of deliberation, an Oakland County Circuit Court jury went home for the day Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the murder trial of Kirk David Leach, who is accused of fatally shooting his sister’s boyfriend after a night of drinking last fall.

The jury got the case Monday after a trial that began June 1 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Denise Langford Morris, The Daily Tribune reports. Leach, 27, is charged with one count each of open murder and felony firearm. 

He’s accused of shooting Kenith Tyran Walter, 28, of Madison Heights three times in the torso on Oct. 26 in a house in the 2800 block of Fern Street. 

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Leach and Walter were getting along fine until Walter reportedly made a profane slur against Leach’s sister, Maria, and Leach began shooting, according court documents.

“(Leach) fired the shots because he reasonably and honestly believed that, within that 20 to 25 seconds, that this whole incident occurred in, that he or his sister were in danger of being injured ... by (Walter),” the defense lawyer, Arnold Weiner, said.

If convicted of the open murder charge, Leach could go to prison for life.
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