Man who killed neighbor over dog droppings made shocking confessions, police say

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The man accused of killing his neighbor over dog droppings was in court Wednesday where police testified about multiple confessions he allegedly made.

Larry Bates shot and killed Paul Wilson in Barrow County in July, investigators said.

Wilson’s wife said Bates kept wrongly accusing their dog of leaving feces in his yard. She said Bates had lived across the street for two years and had become obsessed with them.

One of the first officers on the scene after the shooting said he wasn't even asking questions but Bates kept talking about how he shot his neighbor because of his dog.

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“The suspect stated, ‘Yeah you needed EMS. If he dies, he dies,'” said Henry Schotter, from the Barrow County Sheriff's Office.

Testimony revealed Bates made multiple confessions on that night.

“Mr. Bates did confess to shooting the victim because his dog was using the bathroom in his yard,” said Auburn Police Lt. Chris Hodge.

Wilson’s family was in court for the probable cause hearing and cried as investigators recapped the tragic night.

“The suspect told me that the victim said, ‘Ha, ha, ha, whatever’ and that's when the suspect went back in the house,” Schotter said.

One of the responding officers testified that all of Bates’ confessions were captured on his body camera.

"I asked for assistance, he said, 'You're going to need assistance, I shot him, I shot him, I shot him," Schotter said.

The judge found enough evidence to move forward in the case.

Cox Media Group