KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – A man pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his brother at a home in Klamath County three years ago.
55-year-old Travis Guy Kimball of Yreka entered his plea Monday to shooting and killing his 51-year-old brother, Troy Kimball.
The shooting happened on the day after Christmas in 2016 at their father’s ranch near Bonanza.
Initially charged with murder, Kimball pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of a negotiated settlement.
“That included attempted assault in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide, and Mr. Kimball pled to both of those counts,” said Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello. “The murder count was dismissed.”
Defense attorneys had argued that Kimball stabbed, then shot his brother while trying to prevent him from hurting their father.
“There was a long-standing family feud,” Costello said. “Most parties were intoxicated.”
Kimball was sentenced to three years in prison with credit for time served. He’ll be on post-prison supervision for at least three years.
Travis Kimball still faces a civil suit filed by the widow of the victim. She’s seeking $2 million in damages for the death of her husband.
KOTI-TV NBC2 reporter Lyle Ahrens moved from Nebraska to Klamath Falls in the late 1970’s. He instantly fell in love with the mountains, the trees and the rivers, and never once regretted the move.Lyle’s job history is quite colorful.
He’s managed a pizza parlor; he’s been a bartender, and a “kiwifruit grader” at an organic orchard in New Zealand. A Klamath Falls radio station hired Lyle in the mid 90’s as a news writer and commercial producer. In 2004, Lyle joined the KOTI/KOBI news operation.Lyle notes with pride that he has a big responsibility presenting the Klamath Basin to a wide and varied audience.
“The on-going water crisis has underscored the fact that the people and the issues in the Klamath Basin are every bit as diverse as the terrain. Winning and keeping the trust of the viewers, as well as the newsmakers, is something I strive for with each story”.
When he’s not busy reporting the news, Lyle enjoys astronomy, playing guitar, fixing old radios and listening to anything by Sheryl Crow.
