South Carolina Judge R. Ferrell Cothran dismissed all charges against Isaac Baughman, 27, in the shooting death of his brother-in-law 19-year-old Stephen Brown. Baughman shot Brown in the chin on the front porch of Baughman’s trailer home.
The shooting took place in December of 2014. Brown’s sister, Candace Brown, is married to Baughman. According to Brown, Baughman became abusive that evening and her brother came to their home seeking to protect her. She said:
“The next thing I know he’s walking toward the door and then at that point I see my brother go toward the porch and then I hear the gun go off,” Brown said. “It was within seconds after he walked out of the door. Like five seconds.”
Judge Cothran granted Baughman, a convicted felon, immunity after he shot his brother-in-law with a gun which by South Carolina law he wasn’t supposed to possess. The Felon’s attorney cited South Carolina’s stand your ground law and the judge ruled in his favor. Judge Cothran stated that Baughman, a white male, had a right to “self-protection.”
Brown was devastated by the judge’s ruling. She said:
“It scares me. It scares me for this community. Because now a multiple felon is on the streets, thinking I can get away with murder.”
This case is another example of how the stand your ground law can be abused and allow dangerous criminals to get away with murder. Now a woman’s brother is dead because he did what came naturally by coming to the aid of his sister. And his killer walks free thanks to stand your ground.
If anyone feels I’m playing the “race card” by stating that Baughman is white. Please feel free to send me a case in South Carolina where a Black convicted felon used ‘Stand Your Ground’ to beat a murder charge, and I’ll gladly issue an apology.
Featured Image is a screen shot from the video
H/T Live 5 News
