TULSA, Okla. — On Monday, a jury has found former Tulsa police officer Shannon Kepler not guilty of 1st-degree murder, but he was found guilty on two other counts.
The two other counts include causing a death by use of a firearm during a crime of violence in Indian country and assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian country.
Kepler is in custody pending his sentencing. He will be sentenced on Aug. 11.
The defense rested on Friday afternoon and closing arguments took place Monday. This marks the fifth trial of the Kepler case.
The first three ended in a mistrial and the fourth trial found Kepler guilty of first-degree manslaughter for the death of his daughter's boyfriend. The jury recommended 15 years in prison at the time of sentencing.
Later, the former Tulsa police officer filed an appeal due to the Supreme Court's McGirt ruling that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases if the crimes happened on American Indian tribal land.
Kepler was then charged with first-degree murder in a federal court in November of 2020.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the previous 2017 manslaughter conviction in March.
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