Durbin Resident Will Be Charged With Manslaughter

Durbin, WV – Pocahontas County Prosecuting Attorney Donna M Price reports that Charles Stull of Durbin, age 49, was arrested without incident on Monday, June 7th on charges of shooting Jesse Bennett, age 20, also from Durbin. The matter is being investigated by West Virginia State Police Trooper J.W. Gilkeson and Trooper R.S. Weirich, with the assistance of the Pocahontas County Sheriffs Dept and the West Virginia Div of Natural Resources.

According to a press release from the Prosecutors office, Stull was charged with shooting Bennett in the chest with a .22 caliber pistol. The incident occurred around 9pm Monday night at the defendants’ apartment in Durbin.

Stull told the arresting officer that he was showing Bennett his new firearm. While holding the weapon in the area of Bennetts chest, the weapon discharged. Because of a previous conviction on a domestic violence charge, Stull is prohibited from owning a firearm. Stull says he was unaware the weapon was loaded and didn’t intentionally shoot Bennett.

Bennett was transported to Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins, and later transferred to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. Unfortunately Bennett died early Tuesday afternoon as a result of his injuries.

Charles Stull was arraigned before Magistrate Judge Kathy Beverage on four counts of Wanton Endangerment and one count of being a Prohibited Person with a Firearm. With the death of Bennett, Stull will now be charged with Manslaughter. His bond is currently set at $ 66,000.00, and he’s being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.