Jurors fails to reach verdict in Chattooga County murder case

Deborah Wilkins
Deborah Wilkins
photo Deborah Wilkins

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* Chattooga County jury deliberating fate of woman accused of killing boyfriend* 'I took a monster down': Packer's murderous plans ran deep, defendant says, so she killed him* Cowboy justice: woman on trial for murder of boyfriend who also killed his best friend

SUMMERVILLE, Ga. -- After 11 hours of reading evidence, rereading evidence and yelling at one another, a Chattooga County jury failed to reach a verdict Tuesday in the Deborah Elaine Wilkins murder trial.

Wilkins killed her boyfriend, William Robert Packer, on June 14, 2014, shooting him five times in the gut, back and knee. She told investigators that Packer was about to kill her, then attack three other people. Investigators arrested Packer in October 2010 in connection with the killing of his friend, though two juries acquitted him because he said his friend tried to stab him.

In his closing argument Monday morning, Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herbert "Buzz" Franklin told the jury that Wilkins' self-defense claim is bogus, pointing out that she didn't call the sheriff's office until about 13 hours after she shot Packer. Public Defender David Dunn said Wilkins didn't report the death at first because she was scared.

Wilkins faces up to life in prison on charges of malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.

The jury began deliberating at 1 p.m. Monday. At 10 a.m. today, jurors told Superior Court Judge Kristina Cook Graham that they couldn't reach a consensus. She sent them back to the jury room. At 11 a.m., they said the same thing, and Graham sent them back again, telling them they had not deliberated long enough.

At 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, she asked if they were close to a verdict.

"I don't know if we're making any headway," the foreman told her. "But what we've done is we've taken every piece of evidence and looked through it. So when we come to a decision, we'll have a clear conscience."

The jury will reconvene at 9 a.m. today.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6476.

From the future, March 4, 2015:

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