HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Clear Lake area doctor has been cleared in the killing of a drunk neighbor in May 2013.
A jury found Karl Edward Hormann, III, not guilty of killing Brandon Smith, 36, of Taylor Lake Village. Police say Smith had allegedly been trespassing at a nearby crawfish boil. Hormann had asked Smith to leave the property and when he didn't do so, Hormann called 911 and tried to escort Smith off the property. A confrontation turned physical and Smith was fatally shot.
During Hormann's trial, the medical examiner testified that Smith had a blood alcohol content of .29% when he died. That's more than three and a half times over the legal limit for driving drunk.