MENDOCINO CO., 7/22/25 – A Mendocino County jury determined Tuesday that the shooting death of a man in Point Arena last July was lawful homicide and acquitted defendant Pan Jasper Brady, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Sonoma County resident Kevin Taeuffer, 54, was shot and killed in July 2024 during an argument with Brady, 48.
The jury found that there was not enough evidence to show that Brady’s actions were not done in self-defense and he was acquitted of murder. However, Brady was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, prosecutors said.
The case began with a 911 call just after 8 p.m. from Brady, who reported that he shot a person. Brady said that he and the victim had been in an argument and that during the argument, he got a handgun and shot Taeuffer.
Officers arrived and found Taeuffer dead at the scene. Brady was arrested, charged with homicide and held on $1 million bail.
The defense in Brady’s case argued that he acted in self-defense. According to prosecutors, anyone who reasonably believes they are in imminent danger of injury or death who then acts in self-defense cannot be convicted for that person’s death.
“If a jury believes the defendant has presented credible self-defense evidence, it is up the prosecution to show beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant’s use of force was not justified, making it a critical focus of the trial proceedings,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement released Tuesday.
“There’s always the unfortunate fact that in a murder case one of the two “best witnesses” to whether the defendant truly acted in self-defense is necessarily dead,” the DA continued. “Thus, disproving the defendant’s one-sided rendition of what happened between he and the victim can often be a dicey proposition.”
Brady is a lifetime “prohibited person” when it comes to firearms and ammunition because of his 2008 felony conviction for possessing methamphetamine while armed with a loaded firearm.
After the jury was excused, the defendant was referred to the Mendocino County Adult Probation Department for a background study and sentencing recommendation, prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 4.
