UPDATE:
CABOT, Ark. – It only took the jury two and a half hours of deliberation on Friday, announcing their findings only 30 minutes after the trial kicked off.
Michael Davis walked out of the courtroom without handcuffs, out on an appeal bond.
Hours earlier inside the courtroom, the decision was still up in the air.
Both families were quiet as the verdict was read. The judgment, not guilty of manslaughter, a felony. But guilty of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor.
The jury only took around 20 minutes to find a sentence. The maximum for his charge is one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
While, as prosecutor Jeff Phillips said, there were “no winners” in this case, both attorneys say they respect the jury’s decision.
“The state presented our case and let the jury decide, and they decided,” Phillips said.
“Do I fully agree with it,? no. I think my client is innocent, but the jury spoke.” Defense Attorney Robert Newcomb said.
Still, Newcomb filed an appeal that allowed Davis to walk out on his own.
A decision won’t be made for quite some time, it could take as much as two years.
As for Davis himself, Newcomb said he couldn’t comment on what exactly was said between him and his client, but the ex-sergeant is “at peace” with what ended up happening.
ORIGINAL STORY – A jury has found a fired Lonoke County deputy guilty of negligent homicide in the death of a teen during a traffic stop in June of 2021 but not guilty of manslaughter.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m. the jury hearing the case of Michael Davis returned their verdict. Davis was the deputy who stopped 17-year-old Hunter Brittain in the early morning hours of June 21, 2021, then shot and killed the teen.
Davis claimed in testimony that he had ordered Brittain to show his hands but said the teen instead reached into the back of a truck, leading Davis to testify that it looked “100% like he was reaching for a rifle.”
After further deliberation, the jury sentenced Davis to one year and issued him a $1,000 fine.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
