Manslaughter Conviction Against Former Officer Vacated Due To Supreme Court Ruling

An Oklahoma court has vacated the manslaughter conviction against a former Tulsa Police officer due to a recent Supreme Court ruling.

According to a court document, the sentence against Shannon Kepler is being vacated “with instructions to dismiss” because of the McGirt ruling. The court found Kepler is a tribal member, and the crime happened “within the boundaries of the Muscogee Creek Nation Reservation.”

The 2020 Supreme Court McGirt ruling decided that the State of Oklahoma does not have the jurisdiction to prosecute a tribal citizen for crimes that happen on tribal land. The court also ruled a large portion of eastern Oklahoma remains an Indian reservation.  

Kepler was first convicted of first-degree manslaughter in 2017 in the 2014 fatal shooting of his daughter's boyfriend, Jeremey Lake. 

 In the 2017 trial, Kepler stated he fired the gun because he saw Lake pull a semi-automatic weapon out of his pocket.

 Kepler also stated in the trial, he never felt resentment or hatred towards Jeremey Lake, and said he went to the home where the shooting happened to find his daughter Lisa and ask her to return home.

 Kepler was given a 15-year prison sentence, in 2017.

 Related Story: Former Tulsa Cop Shannon Kepler Found Guilty Of Manslaughter

Although the district court conviction is being vacated due to the Supreme Court ruling, federal charges were filed against Kepler in 2020 after the Supreme Court decision.

 Related Story: Former Tulsa Police Officer Charged With 1st Degree Murder

The U.S. Attorney Trent Shores announced the charges in 2020 after Kepler requested his state charges be dismissed due to the McGirt ruling.

 A federal judge previously stated that as soon as Kepler's state conviction is vacated, Kepler will be released from prison on bond.

 With the federal charges, and once the state conviction is dismissed, Kepler could be facing his fifth trial.

 The first three trials had resulted in hung juries and Kepler had been convicted in the fourth trial.