A controversial punishment order for a Gower, Mo., man convicted of voluntary manslaughter has residents in the area talking.

According to court documents, on Monday, Kyle Musser, 25, was sentenced by the Clinton County Circuit Court to five years of court-supervised probation for the voluntary manslaughter of another Gower man, Kurt M. Brinton. In January, Mr. Musser pleaded guilty to the charge in connection to a late-night fight between the two that led to Mr. Brinton’s death.

On October 18, 2007, the two engaged in a fist fight outside Katie’s Pub in Gower. The next morning, Mr. Brinton was pronounced dead.

Missouri court documents stated a recommended seven-year sentence for Mr. Musser in the Missouri Department of Corrections was suspended and replaced with probation.

Clinton County Prosecutor Bill Burris had little to say about the court’s decision, beside confirming that he recommended probation.

“I really can’t get too much into it,” he said, when asked about mitigating circumstances that led to the recommendation. He cited his interpretation of Missouri ethics laws as the reason.

On the contrary, some people said they can’t wrap their heads around the court’s decision.

“There’s something screwy with our justice system that people like this can just get away with nonsense,” Judith Armstrong, of Easton, Mo., said.

While some Gower residents asked not to comment, Ms. Armstrong said she speaks for her friends in Gower who are distraught over the ruling.

“They are very worried and upset,” she said. “Someone is dead and the other person gets to walk. How does that make sense?”

Don Kellam, a rancher in Gower, said he knows both families involved. It’s not the ruling he’s disappointed in, it’s that the situation occurred in the first place.

“Two men got drunk and wanted to fight — that’s what alcohol will do to you,” he said. “Both of those men should have been home with their families.”

Mr. Kellam suggested instead of wasting time on the ruling, more attention should be focused on the families living with the aftermath.

“I’m more concerned about the kids,” he said, “I just hate to see two families get torn apart over this,” he said.

Rick Welch, of Plattsburg, Mo., agreed and said people can’t be too quick to judge a situation they had no involvement in.

“We don’t know exactly what happened that night, so who are we to judge? For all we know, it was a freak accident,” he said.

Sam Winston, of Easton, Mo., said his opinion differed from the court’s and he would keep it simple.

“What a shame — that’s all I have to say,” he said.

Mr. Kellam believes no matter what sentence Mr. Musser would have received, he’ll always have to live with his actions.

“He’ll have to carry that weight on him the rest of his life,” he said.

Andrew Gaug can be reached at

andrewgaug@npgco.com. Ray Scherer also contributed to this story. He can be reached at rscherer@npgco.com.