Description
Suttner committed suicide by shooting himself outside of his family's home. The manager of the Dairy Queen, Harley Branham, where Suttner was employed had harrassed him over the course of several months leading up to his death. An investigation was requested by the local coroner, and a coroner's inquest was conducted. Jurors empaneled to hear the case listened to more than 6 hours of testimony from nearly 20 witnesses before recommending criminal charges. Jurors concluded that the manager was the principal in the cause of death and that Dairy Queen negligently failed to properly train employees about harassment prevention and resolution. Jurors also found that Glasgow Public School District was negligent in failing to prevent bullying. The inquest concluded that all of those were factors that caused Suttner to commit suicide.
Prosecutors:
Special Prosecutor April Wilson
Incident Type: Suicide
County: Unavailable
State: MO
Date: Dec. 21, 2016
Additional Materials
Folder for Dairy Queen materials
Available Case Materials Include:
Media Clips & Gov't. Press
Contact for Additional Information:
Unavailable
Victims
| First |
Last |
Age |
Title |
Employer |
Injury Type |
| Kenneth |
Suttner |
17 |
Unavailable |
Dairy Queen |
Fatality |
Defendants
| Name |
Type |
Title |
Plea Info. |
Conviction Sentence |
| Harley Branham |
Individual |
Manager |
Unavailable |
Prosecutors dropped the manslaughter charge and one aggravated stalking charge, but Branham is still facing charges for aggravated stalking (1 count), third-degree assault (two counts), and first-degree harassment (two counts). At arraignment on March 7, 2018, Branham pleaded not guilty to the remaining felony and misdemeanor charges. After a court appearance scheduled for May 2018, a trial date will potentially be set. |
|
Crimes Charged: |
Penal Crimes: Second Degree Involuntary Manslaughter; Aggravated Stalking (2 counts); Third-Degree Assault (2 counts); First-degree Harassment (2 counts).
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Other Crimes: None
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