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Man Acquitted Of Grandparent Killing Plot, Guilty Of Assault

A Columbia man has been acquitted of plotting on Facebook to kill his grandparents but convicted of attacking them. 

Reports say that defense attorney Stephen Wyse says he was pleased jurors found 20-year-old Brian Kelley not guilty Thursday of conspiracy to commit murder. Wyse said the conversation in which Kelley and co-defendant Jared Bears discussed killing Kelley's grandparents was a "fantasy."

Jurors did find Kelley guilty of two counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of first-degree domestic assault.

The probable cause statement says Kelley threatened and choked his grandparents, then grabbed a board and metal pipe to swing at the victims on New Year's Eve 2017. The statement says Kelley's grandparents were able to subdue him using wasp spray and threat of a firearm.

Bears is awaiting trial.

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