07/17/2008

Associated Press

A jury has awarded nearly $4.4 million to the family of a man who was killed by his neighbor in Rainier.

No criminal charges were filed against Donald Skewis, who says he fired in self-defense when he shot Scott J. Keith to death on July 1, 2004. However, a six-member Thurston County Superior Court jury decided Wednesday that Skewis failed to show the shooting was justified.

According to testimony the two men had been feuding over a public easement between their properties. Investigators found Keith was carrying an aluminum baseball bat and a knife when he was shot as he approached Skewis' property.

A lawyer for Skewis, Scott Kees, says his client does not have the money to pay the award and may appeal.

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Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com