Wartburg TN (WOKI) — A Morgan County Jury on Thursday (February 12th) convicted Larry West (45 years old) of voluntary manslaughter in the November 2021 beating/kicking death of 69-year-old Vester ‘Moe’ Stringfield outside of Stringfield’s residence at 109 Stringfield Road in Lancing.
The jury of eleven women and one man spent almost two hours in deliberation after the day and a half trial before returning the verdict which, under the law in effect in 2021, constitutes a Class C felony with a sentence range of three to six years, since West has no prior qualifying felony convictions.
Sentencing is set for June 1st where Criminal Court Judge Jeff Wicks, who presided over the jury trial, will impose the sentence and manner of service.
On the evening of November 5, 2021, Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 109 Stringfield Road residence for an ‘unwanted female’. The female being Christina Norris who lived in the residence and supposedly helped take care of Moe Stringfield who had previously suffered strokes and had several health-related issues. When, then deputy now Wartburg Police Chief, Mike Rayder arrived on scene, he testified at trial that he saw Larry West standing beside Stringfield’s car and Moe Stringfield lying on the ground with bloody and beaten about the head and upper torso. It appeared that Stringfield was breathing but in serious condition. Deputy Rayder knew both men and asked Larry West, “Larry, what happened here?”. Rayder testified that West said, “I beat the f..k outta him, and don’t call me Larry, call me Abraham Lincoln!”.
The investigation and statement of West to then Morgan County Sheriff Wayne Potter and Investigator Brad Aytes revealed that Larry West and Moe Stringfield had been together all day, arguing. At one point, Larry even stopped the car in which they were riding in the middle of a stretch of Montgomery Road where the two proceeded to fight one another after Moe allegedly pulled a knife on Larry on two separate occasions. When they reached Moe’s house West got out first and went around to the driver’s side to engage Moe once again. West would say that Moe was constantly pulling his Uncle Henry brown and black pocketknife on people. West claims Moe tried to pull it on him again at that point.
Testimony of the medical examiner showed that Moe Stringfield had multiple blunt traumas about his head, neck and ribs, where West had admitted to kicking Moe while he was on the ground. The pocketknife was evidently taken from Moe’s pocket by first responders, as Stringfield was still alive at the time, and the knife was given to law enforcement at the scene.
Larry West was originally arrested on a charge of aggravated assault but was upgraded to murder charges by the Morgan County Grand Jury when Moe Stringfield died approximately thirteen days after the beating. West went through multiple attorneys leading up to the trial where he was represented by Attorney Kit Rodgers. There were also multiple mental health examinations to determine competency to stand trial and to determine whether West was insane or even temporarily insane with the continuing claim of being Abraham Lincoln. Thus, the several years in getting the matter to a jury trial, although West remained in custody during this time.
At the trial, West’s attorney argued self-defense, necessity, and that he was under duress. The State’s attorneys ADA Bob Edwards and ADA Jonathan Edwards argued that the killing of Moe Stringfield occurred while Larry West was engaging in an aggravated abuse on a vulnerable adult, given Stringfield’s age and medical condition wherein he required someone to live with him for him to take care of himself.
The jury came to a verdict of voluntary manslaughter.
