An Indiana man has allegedly shown “no remorse” for fatally shooting a registered sex offender, deputies claim. Ricky Allen Kiper Jr., 34, shot and killed 41-year-old James c. McClernon on Thursday, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, in a crime that was premeditated.
- Kiper didn’t try to deny what he’d done. Investigators say he turned up at the front door of a home, asked for McClernon, and then shot him twice. He was caught by police roughly a mile from the scene and immediately admitted what he’d done.
- McClernon was killed because he was a sex offender. Kiper told police this was his motive for shooting the man, adding that he believed his actions were justified given the harm McClernon had caused.
- McClernon’s family has spoken out in support of the man. They told WFIE that even though McClernon was on the sex offender registry, it was for an incident dating back to the 1990s in Canada. They said McClernon had gotten into an altercation with an adult woman and had served his time. They added that he was not on the sex offender registry in Canada.
- His family didn’t understand why he was on the sex offender registry in the US. They went on to say that they were in the process of trying to get him removed when McClernon was killed by Kiper.
- Kiper is now facing the rest of his life behind bars. A lieutenant with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office said that prosecutors may seek more serious charges against Kiper given his lengthy criminal record and the fact that he used a gun to kill McClernon. Kiper is currently being held at the Vanderburgh County Jail without bond.
