Murder of Jerry Hancock by Paul Eugene Capps examined on Feuds Turned Fatal

Feuds Turned Fatal is examining the murder of Jerry Hancock, who was gunned down by his father-in-law, Paul Eugene Capps, at their shared home in West Ashley, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina.

The murder stemmed from a feud that emerged after 51-year-old Hancock moved in with Capps and his wife following a divorce.

Hancock agreed to buy the home from the Capps for $210,000 with the pre-condition that the Capps’ would live in the house until their deaths.

However, after house prices began rising in the area, Capps asked Hancock to pay them more money, and when he refused, the pair started a bitter feud.

The argument climaxed on January 5, 2019, when Capps shot his son-in-law four times in the head.

On the night of the murder, Capps’s wife returned home with half a sandwich following an evening out with friends. She found both Hancock and Capps in the kitchen and told them about the sandwich before putting it in the refrigerator.

Paul Eugene Capps shot dead Jerry Hancock following an argument about a sandwich

Capps’s wife then headed for the garage, and a short time later, Hancock called her cellphone to complain that Capps had eaten the sandwich. She returned to the kitchen just in time to see her husband shoot Hancock four times in the head at close range.

Capps surrendered his weapon as soon as the police arrived. The 72-year-old shooter was charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

The killer told the police that Hancock had been abusing him for months, but the officers found no evidence to back up his claim.

Paul Eugene Capps sentenced to 20 years for killing Jerry Hancock

In May 2023, Capps pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. He was 77 at the time.

Capps’s legal team had asked for a suspended sentence due to their client’s advanced age and poor health. They argued that any jail time would be a life sentence.

However, Circuit Judge Roger Young was insistent on imposing a lengthy sentence. He told the killer, “You got away with murder if you ask me.”

Capps is currently incarcerated at the Turbeville Correctional Institution in Turbeville, SC.

Feuds Turned Fatal airs at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.