After 10 years in jail without a trial, man’s case finally in jury’s hands
Maurice Jimmerson has waited more than 10 years behind bars for his day in court.
By Andy Pierrotti
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ATLANTA, Georgia (WANF) — A Georgia man’s freedom is in the hands of a jury currently deliberating 2013 murder charges against him.
Maurice Jimmerson has waited more than 10 years behind bars for his day in court. His defense attorney said it’s the longest pretrial detention in Georgia history and the second longest in U.S. history.
This week’s trial is happening in direct result of an Atlanta News First investigation, which profiled Jimmerson’s case in April and which gained national attention.
Closing arguments wrapped up around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, with a jury deciding whether Jimmerson is guilty of 26 felony charges, one of which is murder. Thursday ended without a verdict, and deliberations are set to resume Friday morning.
Jimmerson and a co-defendant are charged in the shooting deaths of two men in Albany, Georgia, in 2013.
The district attorney’s main witness is a man who came forward three years after the crime serving time in prison. He claimed he saw the Jimmerson pull the trigger 10 years ago. But in court this week, he admitted he lied about Jimmerson to get out of prison.
District Attorney Gregory Edwards blamed the pandemic and a flood in the courthouse as the reasons for the delays.
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