A West Virginia Man Believed His Neighbor Set His Camper on Fire. So He Went Looking For Revenge Armed With a Gun.

A man believed a neighbor set fire to his camper and went to get revenged. A shooting ended with the neighbor dead and the suspect claiming self-defense.

Now, the killer could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

A jury in West Virginia found Douglas Greene, 43, guilty of murder after a three-day trial, according to WVVA. He was convicted for his role in a February 2021 killing in Fayetteville, West Virginia.

A judge recently sentenced Greene to life in prison with mercy, which means he will be parole eligible after 15 years, according to WVVA.

On Feb. 18, 2021, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department responded to a shooting and found Craig Cottle dead.

Greene was arrested and told police that the two men were drinking when an argument took place, according to WVDN.

The killer admitted to shooting Cottle and claimed “it was either him or me” as Greene tried to argue self-defense, WVDN noted.

The day before the shooting, deputies got a complaint from Green where he accused him of arson involving his camper, according to the report. However, no criminal charges were fired.

Authorities said the victim was shot twice, but there was no evidence of a fight, WVDN noted.

Investigators said they believe that Greene went to the camper to confront Cottle about the arson allegations. The argument ensued and ended with the victim shot dead, according to the report.

“Further investigation revealed numerous inconsistencies between Greene’s statement and evidence from the crime scene” prosecutors said. “It was further determined that Greene had also been living in a camper nearby and that the camper had caught fire and burned two months prior. Greene blamed Cottle for setting fire to his camper and appeared to be seeking revenge for the destruction of his camper.”