The young man charged in the shooting death of a 17-year-old Bulloch County girl has been sentenced.
Incident Background
In the early hours of April 18, 2023, Bulloch County 911 received a call regarding a female that had been shot and was being transported to East Georgia Regional Medical Center “by a private vehicle.” 17-year-old Kelsey Amanda McDuffie had sustained a gunshot to the back of the head. Deputies and investigators responded to both the hospital and the initial incident location on Arthur Nuburn Jr. Road to gather additional information. They discovered that 18-year-old Adan Allen Keelin also sustained a gunshot would to his left hand.
Preliminary investigation by BCSO revealed that Keelin was showing McDuffie how to disassemble and reassemble a 9mm semi-auto handgun. During this activity, the handgun discharged while in the hands of Keelin. The bullet traveled through Keelin’s left hand and struck McDuffie in the rear of her head. McDuffie was transported to Memorial Medical Center in Savannah, but later succumbed to her injuries.
On May 9, investigators with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office arrested Keelin and charged him with Involuntary Manslaughter (felony), Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony (felony), and Reckless Conduct (misdemeanor).
The Involuntary Manslaughter charge alleged that, in the commission of an unlawful act (that act being Reckless Conduct in this case), Keelin caused the death of another human being without any intention to do so by the commission of an unlawful act other than a felony.
Changes in Charges
At a May 30 bond hearing, Superior Court Judge Gates Peed heard from Investigator Reid Odom about the investigation. He testified that Keelin had been cooperative with investigators. Earlier in the day on the date of the incident, around 4:00 p.m., a much larger group had ventured to the river for ‘one to two hours.’ Odom said a number of the parties interviewed from the river admitted that there was alcohol and marijuana consumption at the river, but that ‘it was not a high level of consumption.’ Odom testified that he did not notice impairment on the part of Keelin when he was interviewed and that Keelin’s story matched what witnesses said and what preliminary investigative findings revealed.
According to Odom, around 1:00 a.m., a group of friends were hanging out in a utility shed, a common activity at a common place for the group, at the time of the incident. The shed, approximately 10×10, was furnished with chairs and a t.v. and they were all sitting in a half-circle at the time of the discharge of the firearm. Both Keelin and McDuffie had assembled and disassembled the weapon in the period leading up to the incident and witnesses indicated that McDuffie had been in possession of the gun moments before it was fired. Odom said Keelin was seated next to McDuffie when the gun was discharged and the bullet struck both him and McDuffie.
Then Assistant District Attorney Russell Jones ask the Judge to bind the charges over for grand jury consideration, but defense counsel asked the court to consider reducing the charges to misdemeanor offenses.
Keelin’s attorney, Kendall Gross, argued to the court that Involuntary Manslaughter can be a felony or a misdemeanor and that misdemeanor Involuntary Manslaughter occurs when an individual causes a death while doing ‘a lawful act in an unlawful manner.’
“Without conceding Keelin is guilty of anything,” Gross said speaking on what the state laid out, “This is misdemeanor level of involuntary manslaughter….It is imprudent to break a gun down when it is loaded. But it is not illegal. We’re asking the court to not bind this over as a felony on the manslaughter charge.”
Ultimately, Judge Peed agreed and subsequently ruled that the charges bound over would be misdemeanor Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Conduct, also a misdemeanor. The Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime charge would not go any further, but additional charges could be brought if toxicology reports, pending at the time, revealed previously unknown details. More on the hearing.
Keelin was released on bond and the case was ultimately accused in state court on misdemeanor Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless Conduct.
Sentence
Due to the fact that Keelin was facing two misdemeanor offenses, two years in jail and $2,000 in fines was the maximum sentence he could receive.
Keelin, now 20-years-old, entered a guilty plea on August 29. He was ordered to serve 120 days in jail to be served on the weekends, to complete 80 hours of community service, to complete an alcohol & drug evaluation, and to pay $1,500 in fines.
He was also barred from consuming alcohol or any unprescribed drugs while on probation, cannot contact any member of the McDuffie family, and must complete a firearms safety course. As a condition of his sentence, he cannot own a firearm while on probation.
