Jury in William Chase Johnson’s capital murder trial remains undecided over the weekend

MACON COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – The fate of defendant William Chase Johnson is now in the hands of a jury in the Macon County Courthouse that is actively debating his innocence or guilt.

Johnson is on trial for the shooting that killed Lowndes County Sheriff John “Big John” Williams on the night of Nov. 23, 2019.

Both the defense and prosecution agree that Johnson pulled the trigger, but for different reasons. The prosecution says it was a capital murder. The defense says it was self-defense.

Jury deliberations began Thursday, nearly three weeks after he was brought in and selected for trial. Twelve citizens of Macon County began discussing the incident among themselves behind closed doors.

At the end of Friday, the jury still had not reached a verdict. The judge charged Allen, urging them to continue negotiations and try to reach a common conclusion if possible. At around 4pm on Friday, they told the judge they were making no progress. The jury then went on holiday for the weekend.

The hearing will not continue until Tuesday due to another case to be heard at the courthouse on Monday.

The jury had multiple questions that came to the judge three times during Thursday’s deliberations.

The first question dealt with the elements of the death penalty and asked how the death penalty is defined in the law, prompting the judge to re-read the charge.

The second question sought to clarify from a legal perspective whether the sheriff was on duty when he responded to the Hayneville gas station where he was controlling the crowd before the shooting. The judge instructed the jury that he could not answer that question.

The third question was a request for a copy of the court transcripts, which the judge said were not available.

While Johnson was indicted on a capital murder charge, the judge instructed them on four possible verdicts they could reach. Those possible verdicts include capital murder, murder, manslaughter, or they could go back and say Johnson is not guilty. But the jury must first consider a verdict of capital murder.

The judge instructed that if the jury could not agree on a capital murder verdict, they could consider other possible verdicts.

Johnson’s attorneys pressed the jury on the claim that their client acted in self-defense and said the sheriff was choking him with his gun when Johnson shot him. The state says the science doesn’t match Johnson’s story.

If the jury finds Johnson guilty of capital murder, they will also have to decide whether he will receive life in prison or the death penalty. If the person is found guilty of one of the lesser charges, it will be the judge’s responsibility to determine the sentence.

The case is being tried in Macon County after a change of venue to ensure Johnson could receive a fair trial.

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