Trial Begins For Chesco Man Who Police Say Fatally Shot Neighbor

WEST GOSHEN, PA — The trial following a "long running dispute" between two next-door neighbors in Chester County that ended in bloodshed began this week.

Clayton P. Carter III, 53, has been charged with first-degree murder after he allgedly shot George Brooks Jennings, 51, back in Aug. 2017.

Their dispute traced back years, and had grown so intense earlier on that same fatal evening that police were called to the neighborhood to intervene. However, it was believed that things were under control.

At about 7:50 p.m. on Monday evening, police responded to the neighborhood for a dispute between the two men. Police believed the dispute was resolved but a few hours later, the two got into another argument.

Carter told police Jennings was pointing a light in his face while he was outside. As a result, he told police he got into his car and shined his high beams on Jennings, who was in his own yard directly next door.

Police said Carter then went inside and got a semi-automatic handgun from his residence. He confronted Jennings outside, the District Attorney's Office said.

• In Quiet Philly Suburb, Dispute Between Neighbors Turns Deadly
• Man Allegedly Gunned Down By Next-Door Neighbor Was 'A Friend To Everyone,' Obituary Says
• West Goshen Man Fatally Shot Next-Door Neighbor After 'Long Running' Dispute: Authorities

That's when Jennings' wife heard a loud bang outside and ran to the window to see what had happened. She saw Carter standing over Jennings, and watched him a second shot into Jennings' head, according to authorities.

The exact cause of their final argument was not clear, though points of disagreement had run the gamut over the years from politics to lawn care, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Carter had previously pulled a gun on Jennings.

The trial will continue early Monday.