For Immediate Release:
June 2, 2005

Contact: Allison Manning
Phone: 404-232-8900

Alcovy Circuit Public Defender Office Wins Acquittal for Indigent Client Accused of Murder
Victory Highlights Effectiveness of New State-wide Indigent Defense Agency 

Atlanta - During the recent four-day Walton County murder trial of Norris Belcher, Chief Assistant Public Defender Anthony Carter presented a case so compelling that jurors took a mere three hours to find Belcher not guilty. The charges against Belcher stemmed from an October 5, 2004 , altercation between two groups of young men during which two men were shot and killed. Belcher was shot three times during the incident. Indicted for felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, Belcher's trial began on May 16, 2005.

"I can't recall another case in Walton County in which a defendant charged with murder was acquitted of all charges," Carter stated. "Investigator Dan Goldman and my co-counsel Gina Grady did a great job, and I am extremely pleased that we were able to present a solid case to the jury."

During the trial, witnesses testified that Belcher pointed a shotgun at several people involved in the incident and acted in concert with another individual who began shooting first. However, Carter, Grady and Goldman, the chief investigator with the Alcovy public defender office, were able to show that each of the witnesses had lied at some point in the case and that their testimony was not credible. It was also established that the witnesses had reason to lie about what they saw the day of the shootings. After deliberating for three hours, the jury returned verdicts of not guilty on all counts against Belcher.

Michael Mears, director of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council (GPDSC) stated, " Anthony Carter and the entire staff of the Alcovy Circuit Public Defender Office are excellent examples of the professionalism and high standards of the state wide public defender system.  The Alcovy Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office is a part of the new public defender system in Georgia, and the citizens of this state should be proud of the dedication to the principles of justice for all which Anthony and his fellow public defenders exhibited in this case."

The successful defense of Belcher follows closely on the heels of another victory for GPDSC in the Cordele Judicial Circuit, where two investigators from the public defender's office proved a client's innocence before his case was even brought to trial. GPDSC is an independent agency within the judicial branch of state government. Passed in 2003 by the Georgia General Assembly, the Indigent Defense Act created the agency and charged it with assuring that adequate and effective legal representation is provided, independent of political and private interests to ensure that justice is achieved for all indigent defendants in Georgia.

###