JURY: Road Rage Incident Murder, Not Self Defense
April 9, 2021 10:28AM PDT
Credit: MGN
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) – A jury has rejected claims of self-defense and found Simeon Berkley guilty of second-degree murder in a road-rage incident in Everett in 2019.
Berkley testified that Steven Whitemarsh had been aggressively tailgating his car in July 2019.
Whitemarsh’s Lincoln Navigator crashed into the back of Berkley’s Honda Accord.
Berkley said he felt threatened by Whitemarsh so he shot the driver twice in the head, killing him. Berkley claimed it was self-defense.
The jury returned the guilty verdict Thursday.
Berkley is expected to face 15 to 22 years behind bars.
A sentencing hearing is set for April 16.
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