Man Convicted Of Killing 2 Hunters Loses Appeal
KALAMAZOO (AP) - A Kalamazoo County man serving a life sentence for the murder of two hunters has lost his bid for a new trial.
A federal appeals court this week rejected Jeff Titus' claim that prosecutors failed to prove the killings were deliberate. Doug Estes and Jim Bennett were shot in the back through their hunting licenses while in the Fulton State Game Area near Kalamazoo in 1990.
Titus wasn't charged until 2001, 11 years later. His property was adjacent to the public land. There were no eyewitnesses, but trial witnesses say Titus had a history of aggressively confronting people who entered his property.
A three-judge panel at the appeals court says there was enough evidence for a jury to find Titus guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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