Jury deciding whether Topeka man was justified in killing man in front of son
Topeka, Kan. (KSNT) – Jurors began deliberations at 1 p.m. Friday in the case of Anthony Darcy. The Topeka man’s accused of murdering Stephen Snyder in front of Snyder’s young son in May of 2017.
Members of the jury heard final arguments from both the state and defense Friday.
Snyder and his girlfriend were in the process of buying Darcy’s house when conflicts started to develop between the two parties, according to testimony.
The real estate agent who helped them get the deal done testified the conflicts stemmed from having access to the house and work that needed to be done to it.
On the day Snyder was killed, Snyder went to the house they bought from Darcy to inspect the carpet, prosecutors said.
Darcy claims he feared for his life when Snyder approached him and that he shot him in self-defense.
Darcy had started wearing a holster three days prior to the shooting, stating he didn’t trust Snyder once they received a key to the house they bought from him.
During closing arguments, the prosecution argued Darcy was disgruntled and that he was the aggressor, not Snyder.
The defense argued that despite several witnesses testimonies that described Snyder as calm and mild-mannered, the day of the shooting, he was aggressive towards Darcy, causing him to fear for his life.