On a Friday evening, August 12, 2016, a party on East Rogers Drive in Stillwater, Oklahoma, turned tragic, ending the life of 23-year-old Austin Lee Clavin of Perry, Oklahoma. Clavin had arrived at the residence where he confronted another partygoer, Robert Eugene Keeler, Jr., who was also 23 and from Stillwater. An argument broke out between the two men, escalating into a fatal confrontation.
The dispute culminated in Keeler shooting Clavin multiple times.
When police officers responded to a 9-1-1 call about the shooting at 10:07 p.m., they found Austin Lee Clavin deceased at the scene from his gunshot wounds. Witnesses at the party provided statements to the police indicating that the argument and subsequent confrontation led directly to the shooting.
Robert Eugene Keeler, Jr. was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with homicide. His legal journey involved two trials. The first ended in a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked. During the second trial, the jury convicted Keeler of first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to a 10-year prison term. Keeler's defense claimed he acted in self-defense, alleging that Clavin was armed with a baseball bat. However, prosecution witnesses testified that Clavin was unarmed when he was shot in the chest and arm. The case highlighted the complexities of self-defense claims, and while Keeler's conviction brought a form of closure, his defense planned to appeal the verdict. Austin Lee Clavin was remembered by his family and friends as a young man who had a passion for drawing, music, and animals.
