PARSONS — A Tucker County man was found guilty of first-degree murder and was shown no mercy by the jury at his trial in Tucker County Circuit Court this week.

The jury returned a guilty verdict against 65-year-old Robert Lee Tennant after deliberating for just 31 minutes Thursday afternoon.

Tennant shot and killed his brother, Edward Tennant, during a land dispute on Smokehouse Road in Tucker County on April 10, 2023.

Tennant’s sentencing will be at 9 a.m. on Nov. 14 at the Tucker County Courthouse.

Tennant is currently being held without bond at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.

The case was heard by Circuit Judge James W. Courrier, Jr. Inspected by.

The case was prosecuted by Tucker County Prosecutor Savannah Hull Wilkins. Wilkins called to the stand 911 Center Director Daniel Hebb, Deputy Brent Gidley of the Tucker County Sheriff’s Department, Sgt. Victor Pyles of the West Virginia State Police, Dr. Jan Shapiro and Philip Cochran of the West Virginia Police Laboratory will testify as witnesses for the state.

Tennant, James Hawkins Jr. of Harrison County. and was represented by Brent Easton of Tucker County; These people claimed that the murder was not planned in advance and wanted their clients to be found guilty of intentional homicide, not first-degree murder. Tennant was called as a witness for the defense.

According to the Tucker County Prosecutor’s Office, Tennant stated in his statement that he did not plan or intend to kill Edward, but rather simply confront him. Tennant also said that while confronting his brother, he saw Edward looking at the machete found on Tennant’s John Deere tractor. That’s when Tennant said he pulled out his gun and shot his brother.

According to the 2023 criminal complaint, officers from the Tucker County Sheriff’s Department and West Virginia State Police responded to the scene. Officers found Robert Tennant across a stream in the area and ordered him to talk to them, which he complied with and was taken into custody.

According to the complaint, Template told police he saw his brother near the telephone pole and drove his John Deere tractor to his brother’s location to confront him and ask him what he was doing. He said the two argued about property and then he pulled out his Smith and Wesson .22 pistol and fired three shots at his brother.

Tennant told cops he shot his brother because he was a cop. “Ah***” and had been planning to do so for several days. When police officers asked him if he checked on his brother after shooting him, he told them he didn’t. The complaint states that when police asked him if he was sorry for what he had done, he told them: “No, I got the monkey off my shoulder.”

Allegedly, after shooting his brother, Tennant went home and called 911 and explained what happened. When asked if he felt threatened or scared, he allegedly told cops he didn’t.