Man Shoots 'Annoying' Roommate To Death With Pellet Gun After Puncturing Victim's Lungs

A Lake County man was arrested on July 8 after he allegedly shot his roommate to death with a pellet gun for annoying him.

Jesse Franklin Hill, 42, has been charged with one count each of manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, for allegedly fatally shooting his 44-year-old roommate, Ernie Wayne Wilburn, with a pellet gun and later attempting to get rid of the body and the firearm, Law & Crime reported.

On May 4, Hill was allegedly inside his home with his girlfriend when he heard his roommate Wilburn yelling outside. The victim had been locked out of the home because he had forgotten his keys and was yelling for Hill to let him in. The suspect, who was in his bedroom, felt annoyed by Wilburn's yelling, grabbed his Ruger .22 caliber air rifle, and shot Wilburn through the bedroom window.

Later, at around 7 a.m. that morning, a person who was visiting Hill and Wilburn’s residence, allegedly “alerted” the accused “to the presence of a corpse located in the living room.” Hill and his girlfriend stayed in their bedroom for a short while. The couple then came out and exited the residence with the unnamed person. Subsequently, Hill allegedly began to discuss burying the corpse in the woods behind the residence, WESH 2 News reported.

However, Hill later abandoned this plan then spent several hours attempting to formulate an explanation for his roommate's death before contacting law enforcement.

When investigators with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, they found Wilburn’s body lying in the living room floor. According to witnesses who were present at the home, Hill “willfully and intentionally moved” Wilburn’s body from its original position and then “repositioned the remains, covered the remains with a sheet and couch cushions to conceal the remains.”

Hill also allegedly tried to hide the air rifle used to shoot his roommate. Investigators later found the weapon “hidden in shrubbery” outside of the house.

An autopsy concluded that the manner of Wilburn’s death was a homicide and the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the torso.

Following the shooting, when detectives made several attempts to contact Hill, his roommate allegedly told investigators that Hill had “taken flight” after telling several of his friends that he was a “homicide suspect.” He was eventually found and arrested on July 8.

When questioned, Hill told investigators that he shot Wilburn because he “annoyed” him and said that he didn’t think the air rifle could kill a human. However, according to the owner of the home, Hill knew the weapon’s power since he had previously shot a pellet inside the home that tore through several wall panels.

Hill is currently scheduled to appear before a judge on July 20.