Unneighborly Georgia man, Larry Bates, confesses to fatally shooting his neighbor and his dog over droppings left in his yard
‘This doesn’t look like a dispute over dog droppings, sounds more like one party is jealous of the material ascendancy of the newbies’
Georgia man confesses to fatally shooting his neighbor and his dog over droppings left in his yard
Larry Russell Bates admitted to fatally shooting Paul Allen Wilson, last month in Auburn, Georgia at 1 am, July 2
Bates, 46, was charged with felony murder and animal cruelty for shooting and killing Paul Allen Wilson, 44, and one of Wilson’s dogs
Officers arrived to find Paul Wilson and one of his dogs shot dead
Wilson’s wife, Beth, says Bates who lived opposite them, two months ago, became ‘obsessed’ with the idea that their dogs were leaving feces in his front yard

Georgia man, Larry Russell Bates [photo] has admitted to shooting and killing his neighbor, Paul Allen Wilson, and his dog last month
A Georgia man has confessed to killing his neighbor last month after believing his dog was leaving feces in his yard.
Larry Russell Bates, 46, from Auburn, was charged with felony murder and animal cruelty for shooting and killing Paul Allen Wilson, 44, and one of Wilson’s dogs.
‘Mr. [Larry] Bates confessed to shooting Paul Allen Wilson because the dog was using the bathroom in his yard,’ Lt. Chris Hodge of the Auburn Police Department testified.
Bates was arrested after the Auburn Police Department received a call about a neighborhood dispute on Crest Pointe Court in Auburn at about 1am in the early hours of July 2.
Wilson had just taken his dog out for a walk when he and his pet were gunned down, officials said.
Larry Bates [photo], has confessed after being charged in connection with the shooting death of a former neighbor Paul Alan Wilson, July, in Auburn, Georgia,
By the time officers arrived to assist, Wilson had been shot in the head and torso – and one of the family dogs was dead.
Wilson’s wife, Beth, told WSB-TV that Bates was ‘obsessed’ because he was convinced their dogs were leaving droppings in his yard.
She says their dogs weren’t responsible but offered to clean the waste up anyway.
After the shooting, Bates was booked into the Barrow County Detention Center on murder and animal cruelty charges, officials said.
Beth and Paul Wilson had endured two months of harassment from the neighbor opposite who would eventually gun Paul [right], down in cold blood
On the day of the incident Paul came home from work as he normally did and took his dog and his mother-in-law’s dog on a walk. While on that walk his life was taken by a senseless act of violence by his neighbor.
Wilson’s (pictured) wife, Beth, said Bates was ‘obsessed’ because he was convinced their dogs were leaving feces in his yard and would often watch for her husband going on nightly walks with the dog=
Wilson’s wife, Beth, told Channel 2 news right after the shooting, ‘[Bates] just started harassing us about two months ago. He thought our dogs were using the bathroom in his yard.’ She said the accusations were false.
Beth added that Bates would often wait and watch for her husband going on nightly walks with the dogs.
On the night of the shooting, Beth heard the shots and ran outside to find Paul laying on the sidewalk.
She called 911 and a neighbor assisted her in getting the paramedics and cops to the scene.
Unfortunately, it was too late and he died in her arms there on the sidewalk.
Bates thought Paul’s dogs were using the restroom in his yard and he wasn’t picking it up the droppings.
He would wait and watch for Paul’s nightly walks with his dogs. After multiple confrontations, Paul even tried to settle the situation by offering to pick up any dog waste that was being left behind.
There were several months of harassment and seven separate police calls made about Bates by Beth and Paul to the local police department, but it wasn’t enough.
Paul and Beth Wilson on their wedding day. Beth said she heard the shots and ran outside to find Paul laying on the sidewalk. She called 911 and a neighbor assisted her in getting the paramedics and cops to the scene
Police say Larry Bates shot and killed Paul Wilson and one of the family’s dogs around 1 a.m. Sunday.
“He [Paul] is a good man. He didn’t cause any of this. He didn’t start a dispute,” Beth Wilson said about her dead husband.
The victim’s wife said Bates followed her husband after he got off work and opened fire while he walked the dogs.
Beth Wilson said she heard gunshots, then saw Bates run back into his home as she ran toward her husband.
“I went to try to get his pulse and I put my hand on his back and I felt him take his last breath,” Beth Wilson said.
Bates has been charged with murder and animal cruelty.
“He’s just taken everything from me — my husband, my best friend, my future, our children that we could have had,” Beth Wilson sad.
“He [Bates] has just taken everything from me — my husband, my best friend, my future, our children that we could have had,” Beth Wilson [photo, right] said in reference to her killer neighbor.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with funeral expenses. So far, $1,220 has been raised out of a $10,00 goal.
According to records, obtained by DailyMail.com, this is not the first time Bates has been in trouble with the law.
In 2010, he pleaded no contest to four counts of simple battery and one count of family violence battery, serving probation for 12 months.
In 2012, he pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal trespass, serving probation for 12 months and paying a $680 fine and serving 12 months’ probation.
Leave a Reply