Kingsland shooter pleads innocent

KINGSLAND, Texas (KXAN) - A Hill Country man who shot and killed a man at his neighbor's house pleaded innocent to a murder charge on Thursday, saying the victim was a burglar.

Tom Oakes, 64, sat beside his attorney Jim Wheat in District Judge Dan Mills in the Llano County courtroom Thursday. Oakes was formally arraigned on the criminally negligent homicide charge he faces. His attorney entered a not guilty plea to the charge. Oakes shot and killed Casey Rowe, 25, while Rowe was in a car with two other men July 30, 2008.

Michael Jeffers, who was also in the car, sat in the courtroom wearing handcuffs and a bright orange jail suit. He pleaded not guilty to a tampering with evidence charge related to the case. It is unclear how that is connected, but the state has discovered new evidence that may shed more light on what happened that summer day.

"I won't comment on it," said district attorney Sam Oatman. "That might change the posture of things between now and then."

Rowe's mother and brother sat in the courtroom. A civil suit against Oakes is also in the works.

Outside the courtroom, defense attorney Eddie Shell said, "We will allege and try to prove to a jury that he should not and did not have the right to use deadly force."

He expects to file the wrongful death suit in the next two to three months. The Rowe family is seeking an undetermined amount in damages to cover hospital bills and funeral costs.

"The mother has gone through an intense grieving period," said Shell.

As far as the criminal proceedings, Oakes' attorney said he would like to let a jury decide his client's fate in the fall.

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