From Deer & Deer Hunting: A convicted felon will serve just five years in prison for trespassing and killing a hunter who was in the process of field-dressing a buck he shot on opening day of Michigan’s 2018 deer season.
According to the Michigan DNR, Justin Beutel, 38, was hunting on family land… He had just shot a buck, recovered it, and then sent photos of the deer to family and friends. After taking a photo of himself with the deer, Beutel started field-dressing the buck. He was then was shot and killed by David Michael Barber.
According to court records, Barber said he did not see Beutel (who was wearing an orange hat) and thought he was shooting at a deer. The investigative report said that after crossing a road and walking past “No Trespassing” signs, he crested a hill, saw what he thought was a deer, and shot.
It took a 12-person jury three days to return the guilty verdicts in Michigan’s 13th Circuit Court in Antrim County.
I don’t know what to make of this tragedy. Many hunting “accidents” turn out to be homicides fueled by personal disputes between people who know and hate each other. But in this case police reports indicate that Beutel did not know Barber, a convicted felon who should never have had a firearm.
And who surely IMO should have gotten more than 5 years in prison
(Source Deer & Deer Hunting; crime scene photo Antrim County Sheriff’s Office)
Wow, the fact that he only received 5 years for taking this hunter’s life is pretty disturbing. I always try to have a bit of orange on when hunting public land but I typically don’t on private. Maybe I should reconsider after reading this.
Whom knows what truly goes on between a hunters eye and their brain when they see a deer with antlers? I know I have looked at stumps or downed trees so many times and swore it was a deer, but I never pulled the trigger until I was 100% certain of where the bullet was going and what I was hoping to kill. With that said a felon with a firearm, trespassing, attempting to poach and killing someone in the process should have gotten more of a sentence with no option of bail or parole. If I were the judge he would be dropping the soap in prison for a minimum of 15 years no parole.