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http://www.arkansas…">"Scared for my life," defendant tells jury
A jury heard closing arguments Thursday in the first-degree murder trial of a man accused of fatally shooting another man during a purported road-rage altercation.
Chris Aaron Schnarr, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the May 2013 death of 45-year-old Arista Lee Aldridge Jr.
Deputy prosecutor Robbie Jones said the evidence shows Schnarr “unjustifiably killed” Aldridge, who was unarmed.
Schnarr could have driven away, Jones told the jury, but he "chose the lethal option" and "ended another man's life."
Schnarr said Wednesday he shot Aldridge in self-defense because he feared for his life after Aldridge chased him down, sped past him and stopped in front of him, blocking his vehicle, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Thursday. Schnarr fired three shots and Aldridge was struck twice — in the shoulder and stomach.
Defense attorney Jeff Rosenzweig said it was Aldridge's "choice to get in [Schnarr's] face and move his hands up and down and threaten him."
Schnarr "had no reasonable choice but to defend himself," Rosenzweig said.
Follow ArkansasOnline for updates and read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.