CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County circuit judge has found a man guilty of murder in a January 2019 shooting death.
Judge Kenneth Ballard convicted Gerard Maxwell, 35, of Rand, on charges of first-degree murder, being a prohibited person with a gun and domestic battery in the killing of South Charleston resident Marian Chapman.
Chapman died on a front porch in Rand three years ago.
Maxwell opted for a bench trial instead of a jury trial. Ballard heard testimony last month and handed down the verdict Thursday.
Maxwell maintained he shot Chapman in self-defense after she fired two shots at him before he shot her. The prosecution presented evidence to show an obstruction caused Chapman’s gun from being fired.
Ballard will hold a hearing at a later date on whether Maxwell should be granted mercy when he’s sentenced by the judge.