On a fall day in North Yarmouth, Maine, the life of 63-year-old Leon Carlton Kelley, a White male, was brought to a sudden and violent end. On October 6, 2013, at a local bee farm, a long-simmering dispute between two families erupted, leaving Kelley fatally shot. Known by those close to him as a "gentle giant," Kelley was a lobsterman from the Five Islands community in Georgetown, a loving husband, father, and grandfather with no criminal record.
His death sent shockwaves through the small, tight-knit communities of North Yarmouth and Cumberland.
The conflict that led to this tragedy was centered around Brown's Bee Farm, owned by Kelley's elderly father-in-law. Tensions had been escalating between Kelley's family and the family of Merrill "Mike" Kimball, a 72-year-old lobsterman from Yarmouth. The animosity reportedly stemmed from Kimball's wife being appointed as the manager of the bee farm and a beneficiary in the owner's will. On that fateful October day, a confrontation at the bee farm turned deadly when Kimball shot Kelley three times. The two men had never met before this fatal encounter.
Following the shooting, Merrill Kimball was detained by the Maine State Police. He claimed that he had acted in self-defense, stating that the much larger Kelley had shoved him. However, the investigation led to Kimball being charged with murder. He stood trial, and despite his self-defense claim, a jury found him guilty of murder after six hours of deliberation. He was subsequently sentenced for the crime. The legal proceedings also included a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Kelley's widow against Kimball, seeking monetary damages for the loss of her husband.
