Acquittal in deadly shooting of Guerneville man

A Marin County jury has acquitted a Dillon Beach man in the fatal shooting of his housemate’s estranged lover.

Jurors on Tuesday found Ken Neville, 57, not guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Stachuan Jackson, 19, of Guerneville.

Neville’s lawyer argued he acted in self-defense after Jackson broke into Neville’s Lawson Landing trailer on March 20 and charged him with a knife.

“Although it was sad this young person died, the jury felt the law led them to this result,” said Neville’s lawyer, Michael Coffino. “The law of self-defense. This was a an exercise of self-defense in a person’s home.”

Neville, who had been in custody since the shooting, was released from jail Tuesday night. He was staying with family in the Bay Area, his lawyer said.

Jackson had been a romantic partner of Neville’s housemate, Eric Gillespie, 51, Coffino said.

The night of his killing, he threatened Gillespie with a knife and turned on Neville, Coffino said.

That’s when Neville shot him with a .38-caliber revolver, Coffino said.

Prosecutors initially charged Neville with murder but a judge reduced the count to voluntary manslaughter.

The acquittal came after about a day of deliberation, prosecutor Barry Borden said. Neville faced up to 21 years in prison if he had been convicted of manslaughter with a firearm, Borden said.

Gillespie committed suicide in Tehama County a few days after Neville’s arrest because he was distraught over Jackson’s death and for causing Neville’s legal problems, Coffino said.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.