Brothers acquitted in shooting death

Two brothers accused in the death of a 19-year-old man were acquitted on murder charges by a jury late Wednesday night.

However, their father has been arrested on perjury charges related to his testimony.

The jury acquitted Jordan Hottenstein, 20, of two counts of murder.

His brother Anthony Hottenstein Jr. was also found not guilty on two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault, but guilty of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, discharging a firearm in a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence. A sentencing on those charges hasn’t been scheduled.

The two were accused of luring Jamez Hall to the countryside in Clark County on the pretext of a drug deal, but with the intent to kill him. Hall was found shot to death inside the brothers’ SUV on Old Mill Road in Mad River Twp. on July 23, 2011.

After the verdict was read in court, Richard Mayhall, Jordan’s attorney, said he was confident the jury would see his client as not guilty, but with life behind bars at stake, “I took nothing for granted.”

“You never know what’s going to happen with a jury,” Mayhall said. “I thought the evidence went well. The government’s theory was that there was a plan to kill Jamez Hall. I didn’t see evidence of a plan.”

“We felt the jury made the right decision,” said Jon Paul Rion, Anthony Hottenstein’s attorney. “The Castle Doctrine was applied in this case. If deadly force is used while someone invades your property (house or vehicle), self-defense is presumed.”

The brothers’ father, Anthony Hottenstein Sr., was arrested Thursday morning on perjury and tampering with evidence charges in connection with what he said on the stand during the trial.

While testifying Tuesday during his sons’ trial, he admitted he’d lied under oath to a Clark County grand jury about being at the scene of the shooting. While testifying during the trial, he said he was there, following his sons in another vehicle, and removed bloody clothing from the scene, according to court documents.

He will be arraigned on the felony charges at 10:30 a.m. today before Clark County Municipal Court Judge Thomas Trempe.

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