DA won’t retry man in road-rage killing

After trying to imprison a man who claimed self defense in a road-rage killing, District Attorney Paul Howard now says it is in the “interest of justice” the man stay free.

A jury deadlocked last July in the manslaughter trial of Charles Anthony Key, who was indicted for killing an Iraq war veteran during an argument at a traffic stop.

Howard said today that he would not retry Key, 27,who killed 24-year-old Jack Snook, a Marine from Forsyth County, while the two drivers argued at a Midtown red light.

“We decided to pursue this case because of my strong feelings against citizens unnecessarily taking the law into their own hands,” Howard said “That is what we believe happened in this case. However, because the victim, Jack Snook, got out of his vehicle and approached the car of the defendant, we must understand that even law-abiding citizens may differ on the question of culpability in this incident.”

Jurors were split 9-3 that Key was not guilty of manslaughter and split 6-6 that he was not guilty of aggravated assault. Key always contended that he feared for his life when Snook confronted him on April 5, 2005. Key faced the possibility of 20 years in prison if convicted.

“I didn’t want to kill anyone,” Key told Atlanta police detectives during a two-hour interrogation after the shooting. “This is strictly self-defense. This guy was making threats on my life.”

Snook’s friends said he was belligerent and drunk but never actually threatened Key. Prosecutors talked to the jurors and reviewed their trial strategy before deciding against pursuing the case, Howard said.

Snook, a North Forsyth High School graduate, had returned from Iraq three months before he was shot down on the Atlanta street.