A Lowndes County jury found a Columbus man guilty of imperfect self-defense manslaughter Friday afternoon, following five hours of deliberation.
Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens sentenced Terry Macon, 46, to 20 years in prison following the verdict, ending a trial that began on Monday. Macon was convicted of the October 2021 shooting death of Deandrian Buckhalter, 28.
Imperfect self-defense means the defendant killed another person with an actual fear of death or bodily harm, even though that belief was not reasonable under the circumstances.
Macon, who had been indicted for first-degree murder, confronted Buckhalter at the victim’s home and shot him while Buckhalter was standing under his carport. Macon was the stepfather of Buckhalter’s girlfriend, and the argument involved that relationship.
Buckhalter was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and later died there. Macon turned himself in to police shortly after the shooting.
“Under the circumstances, we feel like the decision was fair for the state as well as for the defendant,” said Vicksburg-based attorney Christopher Green, who was lead counsel for the defense.
Green and co-counsel Michael Winfield, also of Vicksburg, argued that Buckhalter had threatened Macon’s son with a gun earlier that day, and that Macon had gone to Buckhalter’s house to talk to him about it. When he arrived, they argued that Buckhalter pointed a gun at him and Macon, fearing for his life, shot him.
However, the only gun that was recovered during the investigation belonged to Macon.
During closing arguments, Green questioned the state’s account that Buckhalter was unarmed, noting that six shell casings were recovered from the scene but only five of them could be linked to Macon’s 9mm Taurus handgun.
Even the police wondered if there was a second gun, he argued.
“(Columbus Police Department Investigator Chris Ware) said that he thought there was a second weapon, but he couldn’t find it,” Green said. “It’s absurd to suggest (Buckhalter) didn’t have a gun.”
Winfield, during closing arguments, said Macon was justified in fearing for his life.
“If someone pointed a gun at you, would you fear for your life?” Winfield asked, walking back and forth in front of the jury box and pointing his finger at them as if he was holding a gun. “Do you fear for your life?”
The state, led by Assistant District Attorney Ben Lang, argued that Macon got out of his truck in a rage, gun in hand, and started firing at Buckhalter immediately, shooting five times as he walked up the driveway toward him.
Self-defense was only a viable argument if Macon were not the aggressor and was in a place where he had a right to be, Lang said during closing arguments.
“You can’t attack the castle and claim self-defense,” he said. “… Nothing (Macon) did that day was necessary. He doesn’t get the benefit of self-defense because he had no right to be there.”
Assistant District Attorney Ben Rush, during his portion of closing arguments, said Macon had a simpler remedy than going to Buckhalter’s house if all he wanted to do was talk.
“Why not call him on the phone?” he asked, holding aloft his own cell phone. “His gun is the only thing that did any talking.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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