Matthew Tull
A Jennings man has been found not guilty of first degree manslaughter by a jury of his peers in a Pawnee County court on October 30th. Matthew Tull’s strategy was rooted in self defense and after a two hour deliberation, the jury found his claim to be credible. Kyle Alderson, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, said he is not sure why the jury voted as they did. However, he stated that he felt it was a tough decision since the jury members did not return an immediate verdict. Matthew Tull, 35, used a 30.06 rifle and fired a bullet killing Micky Allen Humble, 37, according to information in the affidavit that was provided by witness Michael Hensley. That information paints the scenario that there were already tensions between the Humble and Tull over some missing property and Hensley stated that he tol Humble not to start a confromtation with Tull. He further told investigators that he saw Tull reach into his vehicle and take something out. A moment later he pulled out the rifle, fired at Humble, the weapon misfired and Tull cycled the weapon again and fired at Humble. Alderson said that it is the state’s burden to not only prove that a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt, but it must also disprove self-defense. When asked about the scenario as descibed in the affidavit by Hensley, which appears that Humble was shot without provocation, he said that there was evidence presented at the trial that showed Humble had a “tire thumper” (used to check tire pressure on semi tires). Tull claimed that Humble was attacking him with it and while in the process of that attack, he shot him. Alderson said that he does not know if the outcome would have been different had the jury had second degree manslaughter to choose from instead of just first degree as he has not spoken to any of the jurors. He explained that second degree is a “catch all”, and throughout the trial he and his superiors believed it fell under the first degree criteria set forth in the statute. Court records show that Tull pleaded guilty to Reckless Conduct with a Firearm in 2002 and has had various other charges in 2012-13 involving drugs and violence.
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