An Atlanta judge created a dramatic moment in court after mistakenly announcing a “guilty” verdict for a defendant who had actually been found “innocent.” This incident occurred during the trial of Alton Oliver, charged with the murder of Fulton County Deputy Director James Thomas back in December 2022.
After nine hours of deliberation, the jury concluded that Oliver was not guilty, but Judge Henry M. Newkirk erroneously omitted crucial words when delivering the verdict, as reported.
In a surprising twist, the judge declared, “We, the ju-dean, have found the accused guilty of all six counts in the indictment. Sheriff, please give this to the state attorney.”
The courtroom’s confused response seemed to catch the judge off guard, as video footage reveals.
“Did I say ‘Not’?” he questioned.
“No,” came the reply from several attendees.
“Sorry,” Newkirk then corrected himself, stating, “We, the ju-dean, feel that the accused is innocent.”
Oliver, 26, had just been walking home from work early in the morning when he encountered Deputy Thomas, who approached him multiple times while on duty, making inappropriate advances.
“Mr. Thomas comes back for the second time and he’s off his headlights and he’s back,” Oliver recounted in court. “He said, ‘Get in, come in and let me get on. Let me smoke your D-K.’”
On the third encounter, when Thomas pulled up again, Oliver fired shots, describing himself as “surprised,” according to reports.
Oliver’s defense maintained that the shooting was an act of self-defense.
Ultimately, he was acquitted of several serious charges, including murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and other related offenses.
