KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) - For years little attention was paid to the 2005 death of Brian Epp and the murder conviction of the man accused of killing him.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports protests are now growing by those who believe the case was handled differently from similar ones because suspect John McNeil is black and Epp was white.
The shooting occurred in a Kennesaw subdivision. McNeil felt he was defending himself and his teenage son from the 43-year-old builder.
McNeil was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
The NAACP has protested that McNeil should have been protected by Georgia's "defense of castle" doctrine. The NAACP feels the law was applied differently because McNeil was black.
"This is a case we really care about," said Niaz Kasravi, director of the national NAACP's criminal justice program. "It's something that fell off the radar for many people, and we've been able to bring it to the attention of people in a way it hasn't been done."
News conferences and rallies have been held in Marietta, Atlanta and in McNeil's hometown, Wilson, N.C. An online petition asks Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens not to challenge a judge's decision that could free McNeil. Olens has until Oct. 26 to appeal.
But District Attorney Pat Head, Cobb County's prosecutor since 1998, said a lot of information coming out about the case is inaccurate or exaggerated. He said a jury convicted McNeil based on facts and sworn testimony.
Head said race was not a factor in the decision to prosecute.
"I think anybody who knows me knows that's an absolute lie" he said
