A motions hearing is scheduled today for a Commodore man charged with shooting to death his neighbor last summer.
27-year-old James Eugene Lantz is accused of killing 23-year-old Derrick Davis on June 17th in front of Davis’ home on Lovejoy Road in Green Township. State police say Davis’ girlfriend went to Lantz’s nearby home and told him she’d been arguing with Davis, and the two of them went to confront Davis. After the two men argued and then fought, police say Lantz pulled a sawed-off shotgun from a backpack he was carrying and shot Davis in the chest. He later told them he meant to shoot into the air or at the victim’s feet, but panicked when Davis came toward him.
Although the criminal docket sheet only includes the crime of criminal homicide, Judge William Martin wrote last month that Lantz is charged with both first degree and third degree murder, along with voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. The judge ruled that Lantz’s attorney may use the Castle Doctrine in his defense. The Castle Doctrine permits a homeowner to use deadly force when threatened on his own property. Judge Martin also granted $2,500 for the defense to hire its own investigator, and is considering a defense request for funds for a forensic pathologist
In addition to today’s motions hearing, the judge has also scheduled a pretrial conference on January 25th. A trial date has not been set.
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