Trial set for Alabama sheriff’s slaying as suspect pleads self-defense

The trial for the murder of a man accused of the murder of an Alabama sheriff ended in a mistrial Tuesday after jurors told a judge they could not reach a verdict.

Jurors, who previously indicated they were deadlocked, told the judge they remained deadlocked Tuesday morning, This is reported by WSFA-TV. Umpire Burt Rice called an error. A new court hearing will be held later.

William Chase Johnson is charged with the fatal shooting of Lowndes County Sheriff John Williams on November 23, 2019.

Williams went to a gas station in downtown Hayneville to disperse the crowd. That Johnson shot the sheriff is not disputed. But defense attorneys say Johnson acted in self-defense and didn’t know Williams, who was out of uniform, was the sheriff.

The jury had the option of reaching a verdict on the charge of murder or manslaughter.

In closing arguments, prosecutors and defense attorneys spoke differently about the moments before the fatal shooting, This is reported by WSFA.

Prosecutors said Johnson was the aggressor and shot the sheriff out of anger. They said the evidence did not support his claim that he acted in self-defense.

“All he had to do was get back in his car and we wouldn’t be here,” Assistant Attorney General Kenny Gibbs told jurors in closing arguments.

Johnson took the stand during the trial. He testified that he did not know Williams was a law enforcement officer. Johnson said he got out of his truck when he saw Williams yelling at his friend. He testified that Williams grabbed him by the throat and pointed a gun at him.

“If John Williams had come forward, Will would not have been in fear for his life,” attorney Terry Luck told jurors in his closing arguments, the channel reported.

Johnson, now 23, was 18 at the time of the shooting.

The 62-year-old sheriff, sometimes referred to as “Big John” for his tall frame, has spent more than 40 years in law enforcement. In 2010, he was elected sheriff. The Lowndes County Courthouse, across the street from the gas station where he was killed, was renamed in his honor.

Johnson’s trial was held in Macon County after a judge ruled that a fair trial could not be held in Lowndes County.