9/18/13 - A Howell man charged with open murder following a fatal shooting at a Brighton Township gun range last year will be back in court next week. A September 27th probable cause hearing is scheduled for 20-year-old Jessce Lincon Stearn of Howell Township, who is being held without bond in the June 2012 death of 21-year-old Charles Kimball at the Livingston Conservation and Sports Association gun range. Earlier this month, a state forensic exam found him competent to stand trial. Stearn, who also faces a felony firearms count, originally told authorities his replica AK-47 had jammed and that when he tried to clear it, it misfired and hit Kimball in the head, killing him instantly. Afterward, authorities said they were unable to reproduce the weapon malfunction and that witness statements contradicted the claim that it was an accident. Stearn had pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge originally filed by prosecutors because there was not enough evidence to prove he intended to kill Kimball. However, that changed after prosecutors say they learned of statements Stearn made to fellow inmates in the Livingston County Jail that he had intentionally killed Kimball over an unpaid debt. They then filed the current charge of open murder. (JK)
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