TICKER: Man shoots son for bad karaoke singing

The Sacramento area man charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting his 50-year-old Shingletown son because he did not like his country music karaoke singing pleaded no contest today in Shasta County Superior Court to assault with a firearm.

In exchange, William Henry Oller Sr. was sentenced to time served in jail and placed on informal probation for three years, Redding defense attorney Aaron Williams said. Unlike formal probation, those placed on informal probation are not required to report to a probation officer.

The attempted murder charge and an illegal discharge of a firearm count were dismissed, as were a series of related enhancements.

Oller, who had been scheduled to start standing trial on Sept. 25, was arrested on Jan. 26 after he was accused of shooting William Carr Oller Jr. at his son’s Shingletown home.

The elder Oller faced a potential life sentence if he had been tried and convicted of attempted murder, and had earlier rejected a plea bargain offer that would have required him to serve a 7-year prison sentence.

Although confident his client would have been exonerated at trial, Williams said Oller was tired of waiting in jail for his trial to start.

“This (the plea deal) got him out the (jail) door today,” he said.

He had been housed in jail since his arrest in lieu of $750,000 bail.

During Oller’s July preliminary hearing, sheriff’s detective-investigator Caleb MacGregor testified that the junior Oller told him the shooting erupted after he and his father argued over his playing of karaoke music.

At one point, a sheriff’s report says, the elder Oller, who was visiting his son’s home, left the Sites Road residence and made a statement to the effect of “I’m going to shut you up.”

The senior Oller then went to his pickup, grabbed a semi-automatic pistol and pointed it at his approaching son who had gone outside to talk to him, the report said.

The younger Oller retreated back into the residence and locked his door but later opened it after he believed his father had left the front porch, the sheriff’s report said.

Upon opening the door, however, he was confronted by his father, who again pointed the handgun at him, the report said.

That triggered a fight, and the son, who also threw an object at his father, was shot during a struggle for the gun, MacGregor testified at the preliminary hearing.

The younger Oller was shot in the arm, but also had injuries on his head and chest, MacGregor said. It was unclear if those injuries were from gunshots.

The senior Oller also suffered a gunshot wound to his leg during the struggle for the weapon, MacGregor said.

Redding

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