SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — More than 18 hours of deliberation ended in a mistrial on Tuesday in a fatal Tasing case against three former Washington County deputies.
“I don't feel protected, I don't feel safe in Washington County. I could be the next victim that's killed by white officers,” Leonard Jordan said outside the courthouse.
People gathered outside the courthouse after Judge H. Gibbs Flanders declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked on a verdict.
In court, the judge asked, "Is the jury unable to agree unanimously on a verdict for any of the defendants on any count?” the foreman answered, "Yes, sir."
Both Eurie Martin's family and the families of the three former deputies spent days reliving July 7, 2017, from opening statements, to dashcam footage which was replayed several times, to testimony, and closing arguments.
Once Judge Flanders declared a mistrial, those families had different reactions.
In the courtroom, Martin's sister was consoled as the deputies' families let out sighs of relief, but on the courthouse lawn, activist Leonard Jordan made his frustrations clear.
“The torture that was inflicted upon this family again, they had to go through that in the courtroom and listen how their brother was tortured by these officers. They are killers, they’re murderers," Jordan said.
The deputy's defense lawyers declined to comment while Eurie Martin's family and the deputies quickly left.
Michael Howell, Rhett Scott, and Henry Lee Copeland will remain out on bond. The eight charges they have against them will remain and it will be up to the prosecution to decide whether or not to seek a retrial.