Father defends son.

Sixty-six-year-old Talbert Johnson of Weatherford, Texas, was exonerated by a Parker County Grand Jury for his armed defense of his son, according to a report in the April 29 Weatherford Democrat.

A grand jury was convened to determine the facts of a March 4 home invasion and shooting, but the question about whether a grand jury would make Johnson stand trial for homicide was almost a foregone conclusion. At just after 1:00 a.m. on the night of the incident, Robert Earl Bardwell, 57, of Weatherford, broke into Johnson's home because his estranged girlfriend was at the house at the time. Bardwell began to beat Johnson's 34-year-old son, and so Johnson threatened to shoot Bardwell with a pistol if Bardwell didn't stop the attack, even firing a round into the ceiling to emphasize his serious intent. Bardwell stopped, but then went after the elder Johnson. The father shot Bardwell several times, killing him.

After the grand jury considered the case and dismissed it, Assistant District Attorney Jeff Swain told the Weatherford Telegram that the jury made the correct decision: "The shooting death of Mr. Bardwell was defensible under multiple legal theories, including self-defense, defense of another, and defense of a property against a burglar. [This last one would be a defense in Texas but not in many other states.] In light of the results of the investigation, the grand jury's decision to return a no-bill, effectively ending any criminal review of the shooting, was both expected and appropriate."