A former Georgia police officer charged with murder in the death of 16-year-old Susana Morales rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors before jury selection began Monday.
Myles Bryant, 23, said he is prepared to stand trial on a murder charge in connection with the girl’s death. Bryant is accused of abducting and killing the girl as she was walking home from a friend’s house in July 2022, then abandoning her naked body in a wooded area.
Bryant, who was fired from the Doraville Police Department following his alleged involvement in the incident, lives near where Morales was last seen on Windscape Village Lane in Norcross, Georgia, authorities said in the warrant application, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
He was charged in Gwinnett County with concealing the death of another, murder and kidnapping in connection with Morales’ death, as well as filing a false crime report for falsely reporting that a gun was stolen.
A former Georgia police officer charged with murdering a missing 16-year-old girl has also been indicted in a 2019 robbery.
Myles Bryant was charged with concealing the death of another person and making a false report of a crime, murder and kidnapping. (Gwinnett Police Department)
Police said Bryant falsely reported a gun stolen from his personal vehicle, which he had left unlocked, on the same day Morales was reported missing, but his gun was later found in the same wooded area on Drowning Creek Road where Morales’ body was found.
Morales was first reported missing by her family in late July 2022 when she failed to return home one night.
Police were dispatched to the area between Drowning Creek and Barrow County after a report of what appeared to be human remains in the woods in February 2023. The Gwinnett Coroner’s Office tested the remains and concluded that DNA matched Morales’ dental records.
During jury selection on Monday, one potential juror acknowledged that serving on the case would be difficult, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Ex-Georgia cop charged with murder of missing teenage girl, filing false police report
Susana Morales, 16, was kidnapped and murdered in July 2022 while walking home from a friend’s house. (Gwinnett Police Department)
“This isn’t about a car accident or a theft.[ing] “Buying a watch from a store is horrifying,” one potential juror said. “It has long-lasting effects and it’s horrible to sit in that chair.”
If convicted, Bryant faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Bryant’s defense team argued that one potential juror prejudiced potential jurors when, during questioning in open court, he said he had heard strange stories about the defendant, and asked the judge to declare a mistrial.
But prosecutors told the judge that the woman’s testimony would not prejudice the jury.
Former Georgia police officer accused of killing missing girl faces malice murder charge
If convicted, Myles Bryant faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Gwinnett County Police)
Click here to get the FOX News app
The judge ultimately dismissed all 14 jurors who had been in the courtroom during the woman’s testimony.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Bryant also faces a first-degree burglary charge in Snellville for allegedly stalking a former classmate and breaking into her home.
