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Phelan Man Acquitted In Fatal Shooting Of 3

VICTORVILLE (AP) — A San Bernardino County jury has acquitted a man of shooting to death three people in connection with a 12-year feud between him and his neighbor.

The Victorville Daily Press reports that the jury deliberated for two days before finding 57-year-old Dennis Flechtner not guilty of murder on Friday. He was released after the verdict.

During trial, Flechtner testified that he shot Angela Leird, Adam Owen and Robert Light in self-defense in 2009 when they approached his property in the dark.

The only surviving witness of the shooting testified that Flechtner was arguing with the three victims when he pulled out his gun and shot them.

Prosecutors say Flechtner, whose backyard in Phelan faced Leird's, got into a dispute with his neighbor over their property line in 2006.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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