KINGSLAND, Ga. – On the final day of a trial in which former Kingsland police officer Zechariah Presley was found guilty of violation of oath but not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Tony Green, a juror was dismissed from the trial.
That juror told News4Jax she was bullied during deliberations.
It was announced in court early Saturday that juror 15, the only African-American on the panel, was excused because she was sick. She explained it was much deeper than that. She felt threatened by other jurors and that stress is what made her sick.
When asked what was her experience during the deliberation, she said, "It was very hostile."
"The jurors that were in with me, they were all trying to convince me to sway their way. We had retired police officers. We had military, you know, employees," the juror said. "Mostly, they all wanted to get back to work, so they were mad, saying that I was holding up everything."
Presley's attorneys, Adrienne Browning and Alan Tucker, said since the beginning of the trial, they felt that they and the state picked a fair and impartial jury.
"I am not surprised by the verdict because while I was in there, I was pretty much the only one that went for the guilty plea," the juror said.
Juror 15 said she felt threatened by at least seven other jurors, but there were some in particular that made her feel even worse.
The juror's husband said he's disappointed with how the state attorney's office handled the case.
"The state did not protect my wife as a juror," the juror's husband said. "They did not reject anything from the defense."
Presley's attorney said she never heard anything about the juror being harassed. Browning said she only knew about health complications.
News4Jax also asked for her thoughts concerning Green's death.
"They are sorry. Nobody wanted that to happen that night, nobody wanted that to happen that night. It's been rough on them," Browning said.
Also, when asked about talking to Presley's family, Browning said they have not talked throughout this process. She believes they will speak at some point in the future.
Browning said the defense will appeal Presley's violation of oath conviction.