A jury found a Berrien County man guilty Tuesday, but not on the murder charge he was facing.
Instead, 22-year-old Derrick Bailey was found not guilty of shooting and killing Nicholaus Kling, but he was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon. He faces five years in prison when he’s sentenced on Nov. 20.
His defense argued the shooting was in self defense. Berrien County Prosecutor Mike Sepic told ABC 57 the jury did their job. “I understand the reason for the jury’s verdict, but feel that when someone is unarmed, shot three times and dies, it is best for a jury to have an opportunity to make the decision of the defendant’s guilt.”
Bailey is accused of shooting the 37-year-old Kling three times in the chest and the face after Kling approached his vehicle at the intersection of Red Arrow Highway and Benton Center Road in Benton Township.
There was an apparent dispute involving Bailey, Kling, and the woman driving the vehicle, who was reportedly dating Bailey and had recently broken up with Kling, according to the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office.
