HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The man accused of shooting and killing another man outside a Huntington bar has been found not guilty of murder.
A jury in Huntington Monday found Aaron Searls not guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Larry Keaton Jr. Instead they found that he acted in self-defense.
When the jury began deliberating Monday morning, they were considering five possible verdicts: first- or second-degree murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter and an outright acquittal.
On Jan. 9, 2012, Keaton was shot and killed as he was leaving a bar on Third Avenue.
Searls is still facing a charge of wanton endangerment stemming from a previous unrelated crime. Searls will serve temporary home confinement.