Washington, May 12 (Inditop.com) A former US marine, who won an award for the best kept lawn in a Chicago suburb, shot dead his neighbour after his dog urinated on the grass.
Charles J. Clements, 69, who was obsessed with his lawn in the University Park suburb, shot 23-year-old Joshua Funches, whose fox terrier urinated on his well-mowed lawn.
Funches, a father of two, was walking his dog, Gucci, on Landau Road Sunday night when the dog went inside Clements’ lawn and urinated, Funches’ 53-year-old mother Patricia was quoted as saying by Chicago Tribune.
The two men became involved in an argument, and Clements pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Funches. Funches then dared the former marine to pull the trigger.
“Next time you pull out a pistol, why don’t you use it?” Funches said, according to Will county assistant state’s attorney Sondra Denmark.
Denmark said witnesses saw bright light and heard a loud noise and saw Funches fall to the ground.
Clements returned to his house and changed his clothes. When police came, they found the former marine in his garage with the door open. “I knew you were coming for me. That’s why I changed my clothes. I knew you were coming for me,” he said.
Clements, who had won the suburb’s “beautification and lawn upkeep award”, is being held on a $3 million bail.
The marine, who also worked as a truck driver, was known for threatening people who dared to set foot in his yard, his neighbours said.
“It hurt me pretty bad, to see a person killed over something so petty,” Joanne Byers, a neighbour, was quoted as saying.
“It was all over a little wooden plaque,” said Patricia Funches, referring to the lawn beautification award. “It was a senseless death,” she said.
