![[SeMissourian.com]](/images/nameplate.gif)
|
Marketplace
 Print
 Email link
 Respond to editor
 Post comment
 Share link
Trial of former fugitive apprehension agent to begin todayMonday, September 29, 2008
A jury trial begins today in Callaway County for Steven R. Julian, a 46-year-old Altenburg, Mo., man facing a manslaughter charge after allegedly shooting and killing a man while trying to make an arrest. Julian, then working as a fugitive apprehension agent for the Missouri Department of Corrections, learned around 7 p.m. Feb. 14 that 23-year-old Zachary C. Snyder was at an apartment complex on Themis Street. Armed with a parole violation warrant for Snyder, who had a record for stealing a car and possession of controlled substances related to methamphetamine, Julian called the Cape Girardeau Police Department to request an officer as backup. As that officer headed to the apartment, Julian arrived first and spotted Snyder in the parking lot, according to an interview Julian gave with a Cape Girardeau detective. "I pulled my weapon out, walked around my car, identified myself," Julian told police during the interview. He explained to Snyder that he had a warrant for his arrest and asked him to place his hands on the trunk of Julian's car. Snyder obeyed the instructions, then as Julian stepped toward him, his service Glock 22 .44-caliber pistol still drawn, Snyder jumped up and lunged suddenly, Julian said in the interview. "I thought he had either pulled something out of where his pants were or his shirt and was going to actually attack me and when he did that, then I discharged my firearm, striking him in the back right shoulder," Julian said. Snyder did not have a gun. He was transported to Saint Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Julian told Cape Girardeau detectives that he didn't know whether Snyder had been armed or not. At a Feb. 26 coroner's inquest, a jury found that Julian committed a felony when he shot Snyder because he had not been acting in self-defense or using lawful force in making the arrest. The following day, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle charged Julian with one count of involuntary manslaughter, alleging criminal negligence on Julian's part. If convicted, Julian could face up to four years in prison or one year in the county jail. At the inquest, Julian testified that he normally would have gone to his Taser instead of his gun, but he was unsure of the neighborhood and it was after dark, so he drew his gun to be prepared. Snyder's sudden move was described by eyewitnesses as a turning motion, as if to bolt, but Julian testified that he perceived the lunge as an attack and couldn't tell if Snyder had a gun in his left hand. "I was the only one there, and I really believed he was going to attack me," he said. In his seven and a half years as an investigator with the Department of Corrections, Julian testified, he'd never been involved in a situation where he'd had to discharge his gun before. Snyder's mother, Edith Snyder, testified that the only person Snyder had ever harmed was himself. She said he told her he wanted to see his child in St. Louis once more before returning to prison on the parole violation. The trial begins at 9 a.m. at the Callaway County Courthouse. Swingle said it will likely last two days. bdicosmo@semissourian.com 335-6611, extension 245 Related Links
Sequence of Events
Steven R. Julian faces jury trial today in Callaway County on manslaughter charges in the Feb. 14 shooting death of Zac Snyder in Cape Girardeau. The Comments  The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, use the exclamation point icon beside the comment to send a report to the webmaster.
Respond to this story You are not logged in. Please login or create an account.
|
Headlines
Most viewed
Yesterday's most read news stories
Last week's most read news stories
Most discussed
Yesterday's most discussed
Last week's most discussed
advertisement
National News
|
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
Google
89
Lin I think you are over simplifing it. Why then had he arrested so many hundreds without shooting somebody else because he was (your words) "the LAW". Also "cops and bounty hunters". Thats apples and oranges, nothing alike. This guy wasn't a cop but also not a bounty hunter in the sense that you use the word. Even having said all that as much as I would like to defend his judgement in this case I just can't. I won't play Monday morning QB here but I also can't defend his actions either. I'm just saying in my uneducated opinion this just looks like a horrible case of bad judgement and not a big head/ego trip. Without being there I don't know how anybody would ever know. My sympathies are really out there for everybody involved in this mess to INCLUDE the jury. What a tough spot.
Guilty! He just didn't want the kid running, because He was the LAW! Guess what-- just because you are a police officer or bounty hunter or whatever... There are laws for you as well as the criminal! People that knew this young man thought he was good people too. He didn't deserve to die in this instance.
Deesault_Mom,
Thanks for the clarification, can't argue with that as to his use of poor judgment and failing to follow procedures. I know Steve as well as the surrounding circumstances/background and would be hard pressed to try to defend his actions.
As guilty as the day is long. Anybody who says he's not guilty simply believes that all "criminals" deserve to be shot, and that's un-American. You cannot shoot an unarmed person in the back and claim self-defense. It's counterintuitive and ridiculous. If you look at the legal precedents, there is no way to make a valid argument that this shooting was self-defense, or otherwise warranted in any way.
What I meant about the guilty thing is that he is absolutely guilty of using poor judgement and being extreamly unprofessional. I also said that I did not think he deserved much jail time but an adaquite punishment. I'm not stupid and did not mean to contradict my words. I think you just took it wrong. I commented on the article about the Copa shooting over the weekend also and said pretty much similar stuff. If that man didn't want to be shot then he shouldn't have had a gun of any kind on him. Also, he certainy should have put it down when the cops told him too. He's lucky his ass is still alive today. The difference in this case is that the victim had no weapon on him and EVERY SINGLE STATEMENT they got from witnesses (some even shown on the news) were that he was not armed and when he started to remove his hands from the car to run he never turned toward the man who shot him. He was gonna run away and that man just reacted soo fast it only took a split second and now a life is lost. I know this man will have to live with this forever and If he is a caring man like soo many have said then that memory will be a huge punishment in itself. We cant forget that a kids life was lost also. I really feel for the parents and the child that he left behind thatsw all. I just really think this was soo careless and could have easily been avoided.
Not guilty...and deserves a pay raise.
There is a lot of background to this case that will hopefully come out in court and be taken into consideration by the jury. The charge of Involuntary Manslaughter may not be all that hard to make as one only need to prove that someone "recklessly" caused the death of another.
Not guilty...but poor judgement, for he should have waited for the back-up he called to arrive. Why call them if you are not going to use them?
I agree. When you are told to do something by law enforcement of any kind and then you make the stupid decision to run, you are asking for it. My daughter was on one of Mr. Julian's summer softball teams and he, I thought, was a pretty good guy. Anyone can make mistakes and just because you are an adult doesn't mean you stop making them. He has to live with what happened for the rest of his life. His mistake costed a life. I hope the jury doesn't punish him out of pity.
deesalt_mom,
Your post is somewhat confusing in that initially you say he is "guilty, guilty, guilty", yet toward the end you seem to back away from this.
This issue has nothing to do with your past or that of others who have been on probation or parole, it has to do with the actions of Julian and whether his actions were legally justified. Violation of policy does not automatically equate to being guilty of a crime as they are separate issues. There is no doubt he violated policy and used poor judgment.
I will be somewhat surprised if he is not found guilty. Thankfully I am not on the jury.
Not guilty! Not guilty! Not guilty!
This man didn't pick Snyder off as he ran across the parking lot. Yes, most of us made stupid mistakes and bad decisions when we were young (I still make my fair share) but, doing so when the authorities have a drawn weapon aimed at you is just asking to get shot. Quick movements, failure to drop your weapon when told, etc, etc, can have serious consequences.
Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!!!!! There is no doubt about it that this guy was abusing his authority. He knew he was going to make an arrest on some so called "punk kid" and he was trying to look "scary or intimidating" to a cetain extent. If he truely didn't know about the neighborhood and felt unsafe then there are a number of things he could have done to protect himself and the safety of the criminal too, for that matter. He could have asked for some kind of backup or had the taser drawn but let it be known he also has a gun on his person as well. Im not a law professional in anyway. I'm just a mom who really feels for the parents of this boy. Whether or not he was some dangerous criminal(which he was not)or just made a couple stupid mistakes as a kid, we cant forget that he was still a kid and that man used absolutely no common sense of any kind. He was very unprofessional and someone ended up dead because of it. Everyone does something stupid when your a kid and you grow up and move on from it but this kid wont get that chance. I made quite a few stupid mistakes as a teen and spent 5 yrs on state probation but I wasn't some horrible criminal. I was with the wrong people at the wrong time and we all made very stupid mistakes. Today, many years later I have really made something of myself and have a wonderful life but I just look back and think that could have been me or one of my friends and we certainly wouldn't have deserved it either. I hope he gets an appropriate punishment for this and I have no doubt he will. Now, for all of you that are gonna get you panties in a wad about what i've said, dont get me wrong cause it's not like I think he should get "years" in prison or anything. He used poor judgement but he may not have actually meant to be so aggressive and he very well may have felt threatened. I think the court will decide whats appropriate.
Guilty
Not Guilty.
Not Guilty
Not Guilty.