Self-defense in fatal end of sibling rivalry: att’y
The elderly man accused of putting a final and fatal end to his sibling rivalry was acting in self-defense when he shot his younger brother at their mother’s Queens home, the shooter’s lawyer claimed Sunday.
Jethro Jacobs, 73, shot brother George Jacobs, 66, at their mother’s house on 230th Place near 141st Ave. in Laurelton about 7:50 a.m. Saturday, according to cops. He faces murder and weapon possession charges.
“I shot him three times with a .357 from Virginia. I thought I missed him so I shot him again,” Jethro Jacobs told police, prosecutor Christine Occhiogrosso said during the suspect’s arraignment in Queens Criminal Court Sunday.
But Jacobs’ lawyer, James Latimer, claimed in court his client opened fire only after his brother pulled a knife on him.
The older brother owns his 91-year-old mom’s house and was helping her maintain it, the lawyer said. He came up to Queens from Virginia to take his mother to her sister’s funeral.
He waited in his car for three hours before his brother finally emerged only to threaten him, Latimer said. After the shooting, Jacobs called police and waited for them to arrive, the attorney said.
Jacobs served in Vietnam and worked as a U.S. Customs agent before retiring in 2000, his lawyer said. He legally owned the gun, Latimer said.
The lawyer referred to the victim as a “drug addict” who couldn’t get clean despite going to rehab and accused him of moving in with their mother to “leech off” her.
Their mother was home at the time of the shooting.
Neighbors painted a different picture Saturday, calling George Jacobs big-hearted and helpful.
George Jacobs often worried about his splintered relationship with his brother, neighbors said, and whenever Jethro came to town from Virginia the two would argue bitterly.
Jacobs was ordered held on $250,000 bail. He returns to court Wednesday.