Crime
Robert Kinney facing murder charge in death of Stephon Jones - KCBD
A Lubbock grand jury indicted Robert Kinney on a murder charge in the July death of 37-year-old Stephon Jones, following an altercation Kinney described as a late-night confrontation at his family's home. According to Kinney's account to investigators, multiple people arrived at his home in the middle of the night with his son.
According to Kinney's account to investigators, multiple people arrived at his home in the middle of the night with his son. Kinney said he retrieved a firearm, fired a warning shot into the air, and approached the vehicles. That is when he said he discovered his son unconscious in the backseat.
Kinney told police that as he attempted to wake his son, Jones began hitting him in the face. Kinney admitted to investigators that he knowingly squeezed the trigger during the fight that followed. Jones died as a result. His attorneys have argued he was defending his home and his family, a claim that will now be tested in court.
For Lubbock, the case raises the kind of question that splits opinion fast: where does lawful self-defense end and criminal liability begin. The grand jury, apparently, found enough reason to let a jury decide.
Kinney's own admission that he knowingly pulled the trigger may prove to be the most consequential detail in the case.
Common questions
What is Robert Kinney charged with in Lubbock?
- Robert Kinney was indicted by a Lubbock grand jury on a murder charge in connection with the death of 37-year-old Stephon Jones. The incident happened during a late-night confrontation at Kinney's home, where he admitted to knowingly firing the shot that killed Jones.
What does Kinney say happened the night Stephon Jones was killed?
- Kinney told investigators that a group arrived at his home in the middle of the night with his son, who was found unconscious in a backseat. He said he fired a warning shot, then shot Jones after Jones began hitting him in the face. His attorneys say he was defending his home and family.
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