Murder defendant takes stand

Bill Gang

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 1999 | 10:18 a.m.

Las Vegas bounty hunter Dennis Kieren took the witness stand in his own defense at his murder trial to say he gunned down his roommate -- who had chewed off a chunk of his ear -- out of fear for his own life.

The jury was scheduled to begin deliberations today following closing arguments.

Kieren's version of events contradicted others who witnessed the March 1996 incident in the defendant's garage and already testified that Kieren pursued the victim and shot him down as he had his hands raised.

Kieren told the jury in District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski's courtroom that 26-year-old David Allen Broyles bit off the top part of the ear and then held a knife to the defendant's throat to end their fight.

Broyles went to the garage where his girlfriend, Kristi Telles, was waiting and apparently was preparing to leave when Kieren opened the door carrying a 9-mm pistol.

While Telles and another bounty hunter, Mike Woods, testified that Broyles held up his hands and begged Kieren not to shoot, only to be hit by four shots, the defendant refuted that version.

Kieren said Tuesday that Broyles came at him from across the garage with what he believed was a weapon hidden under a jacket in his hand and asking, "Do you want some more of what you already had?"

Kieren said he already had been cut on his hands while defending himself against the knife attack moments earlier and had been slugged in the head with a bottle.

He explained to the jury that he opened fire to protect himself from a further attack.

Woods and Telles said Kieren fired several shots into the victim and a few seconds later fired several more into the man as he lay mortally wounded on the garage floor. Broyles died a short time later from the seven bullet wounds.

Kieren told the jury that Broyles' .45-caliber pistol and nine live bullets were found on the floor where the victim had fallen. A clip of live ammunition was found in Broyles' jacket.

But the two witnesses testified that they never saw Broyles' pistol at any point during the shooting.