Attorneys for Neal C. Zumberge plan to argue at his murder trial that Zumberge was acting in self-defense when he allegedly shot two of his New Brighton neighbors earlier this year after a long-running dispute over feeding deer.
Todd G. Stevens, 46, died in the shooting. Stevens' girlfriend, Jennifer Cleven, 48, was injured.
According to a notice of self-defense filed this week in Ramsey County District Court, Zumberge will rely "on the defense of self defense" at his murder trial, scheduled to begin Nov. 10.
Zumberge was charged in May with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder after allegedly firing a 12-gauge, semiautomatic shotgun at his neighbors.
The violence stemmed from tensions between the couple and the Zumberge family going back 15 years. The tensions escalated in recent years over Cleven and Stevens feeding deer and other wildlife in their yard, according to court records.
Zumberge's wife Paula was acquitted in August for her alleged involvement in the shooting.
