I realize I'm posting without reading the whole article, but how do you retrieve a wayward bull without going on the property? Send it a text message on its Blackberry?
The shooter is a wealthy plaintiff's attorney (John Edwards type) with a long litigious streak.
He buys this huge property out in rural VA next to the dead guy about 10 or 12 years back.
None of the land around there is fenced off and people's livestock tends to wander around freely.
The shooter discovers an obscure state law which says that anyone who wants to build a fence on their property has the right to make their neighbors shoulder half the cost of the fencing.
So the guy buys expensive, aesthetically pleasing, yet non-cattle-resistant fencing and serves his neighbor with a bill for half the fence afterwards.
They refuse. He sues all of them and the dead guy refused to pay up after the court case went against him. So the shooter has a judgment enforced against the dead guy.
Apparently they had words and the shooter got a restraining order. Then, of course, some time later the dead guy's bull walks through the flimsy fence and the dead guy has to retrieve it and there are further lawsuits and restraining orders.
And now, the resentful neighbor turns up dead, in a "self-defense" shooting that conveniently has no witnesses.
Fishy.
I would say he should have called the Sheriff if there was
a court order keeping him off of the property.