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.

KMIZ -TV reports 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.