An 88-year-old Missouri man was arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed a 52-year-old man who asked him to do chores. Larry Shaw, 88, was immediately taken into custody after officers from the Ozark Police Department responded to an “unknown medical call” to a home on the 2700 block of North 31st St. in Ozark around 11:30 a.m. on May 19. There, they found a “deceased male outside the residence,” later identified as 52-year-old Kenneth Barnes.
- Shaw was charged with first-degree murder. Not only was Shaw charged with Barnes’ death but also armed criminal action in connection to the incident. He was booked into Christian County Jail and is being held without bond.
- He admitted everything. According to The Springfield News-Ledger, Shaw openly told police that he killed Barnes and that he’d been considering doing so for many years. Among his grievances were Barnes’ use of foul language and the poor treatment he allegedly received from Barnes. It’s unclear what the relationship was between the two men.
- Barnes said the murder was instigated due to an argument about chores. Shaw claims that Barnes told him to do chores that morning, and instead of obliging, Shaw is said to have gone upstairs in his home to get his handgun before sitting down in a recliner for three hours. When Barnes came upstairs sometime later, Shaw shot him once in the chest, court documents reveal.
- Barnes’ daughter later discovered her father’s body. When she went upstairs to check what happened, Shaw is said to have told the woman that Barnes was hurt, according to KOLR-TV. A detective later asked Shaw if he was scared when he shot Barnes, to which he said, “I wasn’t scared and was kind of ticked when I shot him.”
- Shaw has no regrets. As court documents state, Shaw allegedly told police during his post-arrest interview: “I hope I get the chance to p*ss on his grave.”
