Prosecution expected to complete case today in Weaver shooting

John Denver Pegg

A Clay County man is on trial for manslaughter after the shooting death of his girlfriend.

 John Denver Pegg, of Delta, is on trial in Calhoun County Circuit Court in Anniston before Circuit Judge Brian Howell. Pegg was originally charged with murder after his girlfriend, Elizabeth Hartnett, was found dead of a shotgun wound to the chest following an argument.

 The twist is, it appears Pegg may not have pulled the trigger, which may be why a grand jury chose to indict him for the lesser offense of manslaughter.

 Prosecutors say the shooting followed an argument, and said Hartnett handed Pegg the gun and said, "Shoot me." The gun then went off. Prosecutors argue the gun was already dangerous, and then used irresponsibly.

 Pegg's attorney says the shooting was an unfortunate accident, and should be considered as such.

 Pegg's father, Howard Pegg, testified it was he who gave his son the shotgun in question plus a .38 pistol at a later time. Howard Pegg testified he warned his son the gun was unreliable, and "almost blew my head off" when he dropped it on the floor once, so he should be careful with it. The older Pegg testified he gave it to his son because two women who lived at the residence needed it for protection after a recent burglary.

 Gun experts testified they thought the gun was so unsafe, they were afraid to test fire it. One expert said he used shells that were emptied of their pellets and gunpowder for that reason. He showed the jury a video about how easily the gun went off.

 Prosecutors are expected to call their last two witnesses today

before resting their case.