The murder trial for a man who shot and killed a trespasser in Dekalb County is set for March, despite evidence he was standing his ground.
Keith Sullivan of the Grove Oak community shot and killed his neighbor, Gregory Bagwell, in May 2023. Bagwell allegedly terrorized his neighbors for years. Community members called him “deranged,” and he had been banned from the local gas station due to his erratic behavior.
According to a video by the group “We Stand with Keith,” things happened in the hours leading up to the shooting, making Sullivan believe his life was in danger.
911 callers reported Bagwell, who had previously burned down his own home, was trying to destroy the trailer he lived in, which he did not own. Bagwell was one of the callers.
Police responded, and Bagwell claimed his neighbors had been sodomizing him all day and he asked who called the police. After officers left, Bagwell showed up on Sullivan’s front porch around 2 a.m. Sullivan told his wife to call 911 and went outside. Sullivan said Bagwell reached towards his waistband and moved abruptly toward him. That’s when Sullivan opened fire.
Sullivan later passed a polygraph test, saying he believed Bagwell had a weapon.
Bagwell’s criminal history included drug charges, reckless endangerment, arson, shooting into neighbor’s homes and having a standoff with police. Some of his crimes were featured in statewide news coverage. A previous bond for Bagwell had been revoked three days before the shooting.
Sullivan, a music teacher and church music director, has no criminal history, not even a traffic ticket. He pleaded not guilty to murder. He was denied immunity under Alabama’s Stand Your Ground law.
Supporters say if Sullivan is not immune, the law does not need to exist.
Sullivan’s trial is set for March 3.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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