A month after he shot his neighbor in a dispute over lawn maintenance, Lee Macon is a free man.
"Lee Macon, the Broward man who shot his neighbor to death during a fierce disagreement over the line that divides their two lawns, walked out of jail a free man Thursday.
The Broward grand jury said he committed no crime.
Macon's attorney, Richard F. Della Fera, argued that the shooting of Jerome Jackson -- which made national headlines -- was a clear case of self-defense, the last blow in a long-festering feud that erupted over the most seemingly insignificant matter. He said Jackson was the aggressor.
Said Chuck Morton, homicide division chief with the Broward state attorney's office: ``The grand jury considered every potential charge, from first-degree murder to manslaughter to justifiable self-defense . . . and they decided not to indict.''
Macon, interviewed by WSVN-Fox 7 as he left the jail, declared: ``I was exonerated. I'd like to get on with my life.''
Friends, neighbors in the Lauderdale Lakes community and even the lawn man who witnessed the fatal shooting testified on Macon's behalf during the closed proceeding, according to Della Fera. They persuaded the grand jury that Macon, 49, acted out of fear and self-preservation.
`GLAD HE'S HOME'
After his release, Macon was excited, relieved and happy, said his friend, Sharletta Davis, 39.
''We're just glad he's home,'' she said.
Davis said the grand jury's findings prove what his supporters had said since the shooting: that Macon had been pushed to the edge after years of fighting with Jackson.
''The truth came out, and it was what we were saying from day one,'' Davis said.
According to previous police accounts, Jackson, 51, and Macon had an ongoing feud, in part over the length of Jackson's lawn. Jackson preferred his lawn shaggy, while Macon preferred a close-cropped cut.
On the morning of Feb. 7, Collin Fraser, 52, was mowing Macon's yard when he made a swipe that may have veered onto Jackson's property, scalping the high grass.
Jackson became enraged, first confronting the lawn man.
Macon, sensing trouble, tucked a gun into his waistband and emerged from the home to confront Jackson. Shots were fired, and Jackson fell dying.
Della Fera said there was far more to the story.
With Macon present in the courtroom, witnesses testified that Jackson was largely to blame for the feud, and on the day of his death made several threatening moves toward the accused.
According to Della Fera, testimony established that Jackson rushed Macon, and began to punch him and tried to knock him to the ground. Macon pulled the gun from his waistband to scare Jackson away, but Jackson lunged for the weapon. Macon fired a warning shot into the sky, but Jackson continued to grasp for the gun.
Finally, Macon fired a shot into Jackson's shoulder, knocking him down, then went inside and called 911.
Authorities arrived within minutes, but not in time to save Jackson.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies ordered Macon to the ground and asked where they could find the weapon, which he had left inside.
By the end of the day, he was charged with murder."
Mr. Macon, you see, is a black man.
If there's one thing the Broward County authorities hate more than a man with a gun, its a black man with a gun.
Doesn't matter how ludicrous the case sounds...a fight over where the lawn begins and ends...one man was being beaten to the ground by another man, and decided his life was in danger and found it necessary to defend himself by any means. The Broward Law & Order community had little cause to charge him with murder, especially since surrounding neighbors gave the same account to the police as they provided the Grand Jury, but when in doubt send the black guy to the slammer.
Been going on in these parts for a couple hundred years, so its good to see a turn for the better.
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