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PARSONS -- A Tucker County man was found guilty of first-degree murder and granted no mercy by the jury in his trial in Tucker County Circuit Court this week.
The jury returned the guilty verdict against Robert Lee Tennant, 65, after deliberating for only 31 minutes Thursday afternoon.
Tennant shot and killed his brother, Edward Tennant, on April 10, 2023, during a land dispute that took place on Smokehouse Road in Tucker County.
Tennant will be sentenced on Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. at the Tucker County Courthouse.
Tennant is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail with no bond.
The case was overseen by Circuit Judge James W. Courrier, Jr.
The case was prosecuted by Tucker County Prosecuting Attorney Savannah Hull Wilkins. Wilkins called to the stand 911 Center Director Daniel Hebb, Deputy Brent Gidley of the Tucker County Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Victor Pyles of the West Virginia State Police, Dr. Jan Shapiro from the office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Philip Cochran of the West Virginia Police Laboratory to testify as witnesses for the state.
Tennant was represented by James Hawkins Jr. from Harrison County and Brent Easton from Tucker County, who wanted their client to be found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and not first-degree murder, arguing that the murder was not premeditated. Tennant was called as a witness for the defense.
In his testimony, according to the Tucker County Prosecutor's Office, Tennant indicated that he had not been planning and had no intention to kill Edward, but instead planned on simply confronting him. Tennant also said that, while confronting his brother, he saw Edward look at a machete that was kept in Tennant's John Deere tractor. That is when Tennant said he pulled out his gun and shot his brother.
According to the 2023 criminal complaint, authorities with the Tucker County Sheriff's Department and West Virginia State Police responded to the shooting scene. Officers found Robert Tennant across a stream at the location and ordered him to come talk with them, to which he complied and was taken into custody .
According to the complaint, Template told police he saw his brother at a telephone pole and drove his John Deere tractor to where his brother was in order to confront him, asking him what he was doing. He said the two argued over the property, and he then pulled out a Smith and Wesson .22 handgun and shot three times at his brother.
Tennant told officers he shot his brother because he was an "a**h***" and that he had been planning to do this for several days. When officers asked him if he checked on his brother after shooting him, he told them that he did not. The complaint states that when police also asked him if he was sorry for what he did and he told them, "No, I got the monkey off my shoulder."
After Tennant shot his brother, according to the complaint, he went to his house and contacted 911 and told them what happened. When asked if he felt threatened or scared, he allegedly told officers he was not.