The man accused of killing an elderly Iowa couple in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura took the stand in his own defense. He’s charged with two counts of first-degree murder and will spend life in prison if found guilty.
Scot Kidd is charged with the murders of Joan and Zoren O’Brien in their Iowa home on August 28, 2020. Joan was 73 years old and Zoren was 81.
Kidd took the witness stand at 4:11 p.m. and admitted to shooting Zoren O’Brien with a shotgun. He says he did it after Zoren accidentally shot his own wife, Joan, in the head with the shotgun.
Kidd said Zoren was angry with him and that he grabbed the barrel of the shotgun to disarm Zoren. But then, Kidd says he fired the shotgun in self-defense when he thought Zoren was reaching for another gun. Zoren possessed numerous guns at his home in Iowa. Kidd testified after Joan had been shot, her legs were still moving. He testified he shot her in the chest because, “he couldn’t do anything for her,” implying it was like a mercy killing. Kidd said several times he cared about Joan O’Brien.
Earlier in the day, jurors heard audio of a law enforcement interview with Kidd during which he repeatedly denied he was near or inside the O’Brien home at the time of the killings. That interview lasted two hours and forty minutes. He was on the witness stand for nearly an hour and a half.
On the tape and on the stand, Kidd denied selling jewelry that belonged to Joan O’Brien.
The trial resumes at 9 a.m. when the state will put on rebuttal.
https://www.kplctv.com/2021/10/21/scot-kidd-takes-stand-his-own-defense-first-degree-murder-trial/
