VERDICT: GA v. Ryan Cooper — Missing Girlfriend Murder Trial

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: You had reached a verdict. If so, would you please hand the verdict up so the court can review it. Just ask to form and I will return it back to the four person. Thank you much. Okay. I'll hand it back to the four person. Would the defendant please stand? Madam four person, would you stand and announce the jury's verdict, please? [00:00:48] Speaker 2: Would you read the counts? [00:00:50] Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am. [00:00:51] Speaker 2: As of count one on the charge of malice murder, would the jury find the defendant guilty? As of count two on the charge of felony murder, would the jury find the defendant guilty? As of count three on the charge of felony murder, would the jury find the defendant guilty? As of count four on the charge of aggravated assault, would the jury find the defendant guilty? As of count five on the charge of aggravated battery, would the jury find the defendant guilty? As of count six on the charge of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, would the jury find the defendant guilty? As of count seven on the charge of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, would the jury find the defendant guilty? All right, would you circulate the verdict form to counsel? [00:01:59] Speaker 1: And is there a request to poll the jury? Yes, sure. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, the court is going to poll the jury and that means that I'm going to get my hands on the -- All right, I am going to call out your juror numbers according to the jury strike list, but ladies and gentlemen, when I call out your number, I'm going to answer your question. I'll ask you, if you heard the foreperson read the jury's verdict, I'll ask you, was that your verdict in the jury room? Was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? And is that still your verdict? All right? So, jury number one, please stand. Jury number one, you heard the foreperson read the jury's verdict. Correct? Yes. Ma'am, was that your verdict in the jury room? Yes. Was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes. Is that still your verdict? Yes. Thank you very much. You may be seated. Looks like jury number 14. Okay. Ma'am, you heard the foreperson read the jury's verdict, correct? Yes. Was that your verdict in the jury room? [00:03:36] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:03:36] Speaker 1: Ma'am, was that your verdict in the jury room? Yes. Was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes. Is that still your verdict? Yes. Thank you very much. Ma'am, was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? [00:03:46] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:03:46] Speaker 1: Ma'am, was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? [00:03:47] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:03:48] Speaker 1: Ma'am, was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:04:22] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:04:23] Speaker 1: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict, correct? Yes. Ma'am, was that your verdict in the jury room? Yes. Ma'am, was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, thank you very much. You may be seated. Jury number 27. Jury number 27, you heard the foreperson read the jury's verdict, correct? Yes, ma'am. Ma'am, was that your verdict in the jury room? Yes. Ma'am, was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes, ma'am. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes, ma'am. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. [00:05:39] Speaker ?: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:05:40] Speaker 1: Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:05:42] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:05:42] Speaker 1: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:06:01] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:06:01] Speaker 1: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:06:02] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:06:03] Speaker 1: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:06:16] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:06:17] Speaker 1: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes. [00:06:25] Speaker ?: Ma'am, is that still your verdict? [00:06:30] Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am. Ma'am, is that still your verdict? Yes, ma'am. Was that your verdict in the jury room? Yes, ma'am. Was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes, ma'am. Is that still your verdict? Yes, ma'am. Ma'am. Thank you so much. And jury number 43. Jury number 43, you heard the floor person read the jury's verdict? Yes. Ma'am. Was that your verdict in the jury room? Yes. Ma'am. Was that verdict freely and voluntarily made by you? Yes. Is that still your verdict? Yes. All right. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury as well as the alternates, when Mr. Davis got up he committed you all for being an exceptional jury and I concur in that conclusion. I want to thank you for your service and I want to thank you for the grace in which you served and I am aware that we inconvenienced some of you and we sincerely apologize. I sincerely apologize for that. And I'm going to work to see if we can do things a little bit different moving forward. But ladies and gentlemen, I promise you when you get that jury summons look at your calendars. And I think some of the problem is everybody thinks a jury served about a week. And in most instances that's correct. But there are occasions when it goes beyond. And this was a longer case with -- and I shouldn't say this but I probably will -- a lot was kind of invested by the state for this case and the people we had on the last day apparently. And I don't know all this going into it sometimes. I really don't. But I'll learn to ask more questions. But we really appreciate your service and utilize jury deferments. If you think you're coming close, you know, utilize your jury deferments and go to a blank spot in your life and see if we can -- I mean, we are, from what I understand, because we don't have a hand in exactly selecting the jury pool. That is done somewhere on some kind of wheel and it's sent to us a list.