Murder Suspect Lived Next Door for 30 Years
People all over the world can relate to the strained relationship between 65-year-old Gary Earl Oliver and 60-year-old John M. Kennedy. After all, neighbor disputes happen pretty much anywhere two people are forced to live side by side. But what makes this case unusual is how, after twenty years of sharing a property line, Oliver finally decided to solve his neighbor problem.
At 7 pm on a pleasant evening in Dearborn Heights, neighbors of Oliver and Kennedy heard shots fired. Rushing out of their homes to see what was happening, people saw Oliver standing over Kennedy’s body and continuing to fire his gun. Kennedy was apparently shouting, “No, no, no!”
Several witnesses have said that Kennedy appeared to be alive when Oliver walked over, stood above him and fired repeatedly at him, before turning around and going back into his home. Kennedy was apparently doing yard work at the time that Oliver walked into his yard and opened fire.
According to their neighbors, the two men have lived in adjoining properties for about 30 years, and have sustained a decades-long feud, trading accusations about property destruction and trespassing back and forth over the years. Oliver claims that Kennedy had trespassed on his property before, picked his locks, stolen his money, and also that he put water on his roof in order to cause a leak in his home.
According to the Dearborn Heights police, they’ve received multiple calls over the years from Oliver, in which he claimed that Kennedy was being too nosy and trespassing on his property. The story is the same for Kennedy. Police say they have been called to both properties multiple times over the years for complaints.
Unfortunately for Oliver, it appears that he may have considered this action for some time in advance. According to testimony provided by a detective at his arraignment, Oliver told an ADT technician who was installing an alarm system on his home the day before, that he intended to take matters into his own hands. He also allegedly told the technician that he should remember Oliver’s name, as he would soon see it on TV.
Oliver was arraigned in Romulus in Wayne County’s 34th District Court. He has been charged with first degree murder and felony firearm. Under Michigan law, first degree murder is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. Felony firearm is punishable by a minimum of two years in prison. However, when one is facing a life sentence, this seems a negligible thing.
Neighbors are sometimes nosy, sneaky, inconsiderate and even destructive. But there are ways of dealing with unpleasant neighbors that won’t land you in prison for life, and we highly recommend that you pursue other avenues when dealing with these kinds of issues, difficult as they may be. Prison just isn’t worth it.