Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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October 26, 2009

70-year-old gets 56-year sentence in shooting death

By CHARLES OWENS

TAZEWELL, Va. — A Tazewell County man charged with fatally shooting his neighbor and wounding the man’s wife was sentenced Monday to 56 years in prison.

Circuit Court Judge Teresa Chafin sentenced Paul Daniel Jarrett, 70, of Boissevain to 68 years in prison on a charge of first-degree murder, malicious wounding, and two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime in connection with the July 9, 2007, shooting death of Charles Allen Proffitt, 58, of Boissevain.

Chafins then agreed to suspend 12 years of the sentence leaving Jarrett with an active penitentiary sentence of 56 years, Tazewell County Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Lee said.

Lee said the case took a long time to prosecute because Jarrett was initially found incompetent to stand trial.

“It had been continued for quite some time due to a psychological evaluation of the defendant,” Lee said. “He was finally found competent and entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder, malicious wounding and then two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. He was sentenced today, and he received a sentence of 68 years, but the judge suspended 12 leaving him with an active sentence of 56 years.”

Lee said the Commonwealth argued for a life sentence for Jarrett.

“He is presently 70 years old — so it is essentially a life sentence,” Lee said. “But the Commonwealth asked for a life sentence. We felt that his actions deserved a life sentence. We put on the investigating officers, who testified that our victim was shot nine times, and from all appearances had went over to Mr. Jarrett’s trailer to bury the hatchet. There has been an ongoing feud between them. Our victim, Mr. Charles Proffitt, had carried over a couple of glasses and cans of beer. Mr. Jarrett apparently shot him once. Mr. Proffit fell over, and then he shot him five more times as he laid their dying. To add insult to injury, he went and reloaded, and shot him (again), When Mr. Proffitt’s wife, Tammy Proffitt, heard the gunfire and came over to see what happened, she saw her husband mortally wounded laying on the ground. Mr. Jarrett then shot her through the back.”

Lee said Tammy Proffitt survived the shooting but still has lingering pains and scarring from the attack. The woman was shot once in the upper shoulder area.

Lee said several family members of the victim testified at Monday’s sentencing hearing about how Jarrett’s actions had destroyed their lives.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

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