Life In Prison For 86-Year-Old North Texan Who Killed Son, Grandson
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MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — An 86-year-old North Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of fatally shooting his son and grandson in 2013.
A judge sentenced Paul Alexander Tanner Sr. on Monday after a jury convicted him of two counts of Murder.
Years earlier, when Tanner sat down for a jailhouse interview with CBS 11 News to talk about the day his son and grandson were shot and killed he adamantly proclaimed his innocence. He began the interview saying, "I just want to tell you right now that I didn't do it."
Prosecutors explained how Tanner lived on more than 80 acres in the Collin County town of Fairview, with his son, 59-year-old Paul Alexander Tanner Jr., and grandson, 23-year-old Ryan Dawson Tanner and that the family was being evicted from their home.
The bodies of Paul Tanner Jr. and Ryan Tanner were found in May of 2013 -- both had been shot twice and had been lying in the house dead for some time.
Hours after the bodies were discovered, police tracked Tanner Sr. to a hotel in Addison, where he was found him unresponsive after ingesting medications and wine.
During the trial prosecutors presented evidence that Tanner Sr. had his son's blood on his pants and that his cell phone was near the home in Fairview around the time of the murders.
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