ATLANTA — A Gwinnett County jury found an ex-Georgia officer guilty Wednesday of murdering a Gwinnett County teen.
Susana Morales went missing in the summer of 2022, and it would be months until her remains were found in the woods.
The unsettling details of the case included police accusing Miles Bryant - a Doraville police officer who was terminated upon being arrested in early 2023 - of dumping Morales' naked body in the woods.
Both the state and the defense rested in the case on Tuesday. Judge Tamela Adkins read the jury the charges in the case after they heard compelling closing arguments from the defense and prosecution.
Jury deliberations began Wednesday afternoon, and the jury came back with a guilty verdict before the night concluded.
Here's a recap of the day.
Defense closing arguments
The attorney for the ex-officer, Tracy Drake, began her closing arguments with Bryant being "nervous" during his police interview.
“They were right up on him with his back against the wall," she told the jury.
Drake went over key parts of the testimony.
“The only things we know for certain. She was in the car. We do know she was in the truck. Yes, he was trying to conceal the death of another, and he left her body in the woods," said Drake. “Because the state has zero evidence of malice murder.”
Judge Tamela Adkins and Drake argued over a statement in her closing arguments claiming that Morales could have overdosed.
Adkins told the lawyer that she could have asked if tests were done during the medical examiner's testimony, but she didn’t.
“No cause of death, and we don’t know how this young lady died," Drake continued telling the jury.
Watch Drake's full closing arguments below.
Prosecution closing statements
Attorney Brandon Delfunt for the state started closing arguments with compelling statements.
“He took his power, and he took his badge, and he used that to murder. He is a cop turned killer," Delfunt said. “I am certain the defendant hoped that this never came to light, but the reality is it has come to light, and he faces justice now before you.”
Prosecutors began going over the jury charges, giving an explanation for each charge.
“Ms. Drake brought up that there is no evidence of kidnapping. I strongly disagree with her," he added.
Reasonable doubt was brought up through much of Delfunt's and Drake's testimony.
"This is obvious of what happened to Susana Morales. Use your common sense. They [the defense] muddied the waters to make it seem deeper," he told the jury.
Delfunt then went over key moments in the case, including Morales' last moments.
"She was steps away from being home," Delfunt added. "There was not a single phone call or a single social media post, not reaching out to anyone ever again. The last physical or electronic trace of Susana's life is actually walking past King David. Other than that, there is no trace of her until she was found in the woods."
Delfunt also mentioned the moment Susana's phone gave her friend a crash alert, where the defense tried to argue that the alert could have been from hard braking.
The prosecution continued the argument, presenting the facts in chronological order.
"He [Bryant] said it wasn't an accident; it wasn't an overdose. He told you in the interview," Delfunt continued.
Delfunt even mentioned how, in opening statements, the jury heard that the defendant was supposed to testify. He didn't end up testifying.
The prosecutor also played several key parts of the police interview during his closing arguments.
"He is a predatory monster with a badge," Delfunt concluded in his closing arguments.
Watch Delfunt's full closing arguments below.
Judge reads jury charges
Verdict reached and sentencing
Below is the full verdict from the jury:
- Count 1 malice murder - guilty
- Count 2 felony murder - guilty
- Count 3 kidnapping - guilty
- Count 4 criminal attempt to commit rape - not guilty
- County 5 false report of a crime- guilty
The judge sentenced Bryant to life without the possibility of parole for count 1. She said count 2 and 3 vacate as operation of law. She gave him 12 months, the maximum sentence, for count 5 that will be served consecutive with the life sentence.
Other highlights from the trial
Monday, the court heard from several investigators, including Detective Angela Carter, who was brought to tears when describing the moments she realized the remains found in the woods in Dacula belonged to Morales.
Jurors also witnessed a three-hour police interview between the defendant and police detectives, who questioned him as a suspect in the case.
On Friday, Gwinnett County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Carol Terry said the cause of death in the case was undetermined because of how skeletal her remains were.
"Cause of death undetermined due to decomposition and skeletalization," she said. "There is no more testing that I can do because what I need to see is not there...She has been there for a period of months."
Prosecutors and defense attorneys also questioned two investigators. One of the investigators responded to a search warrant for the defendant's apartment. The other investigator was able to ping Bryant's cell phone near where investigators found Morales' remains in some woods in Dacula the next day she was last seen.
Other witnesses spoke to the defendant's character; one of them, who was a former friend, called him a "stalker" due to the number of times Bryant would show up to her house unannounced.
Thursday's proceedings began with testimonies from Morales' best friend, Esmeralda "Rose" Castillo, and her boyfriend, Axel Zaragoza. Castillo recounted the moments leading up to Morales' disappearance, her growing concern when Morales didn't return home, and her attempts to locate her through a crash site app. Castillo also mentioned a previous encounter with Bryant, who offered them a ride, which they declined.
Zaragoza described Morales as an uplifting and loving person. He testified about their multiple FaceTime calls the night she disappeared.
Proceedings also included testimonies from detectives and officers involved in the case. Gwinnett County Police Lt. Xavier Biggers, who became emotional on the stand, spoke about his dedication to finding Morales. Another officer recounted the discovery of a gun matching Bryant's stolen firearm report.
Bodycam footage was shown, capturing the moments when Morales' remains were found. Detective William Merkley testified about Bryant reporting his gun stolen, finding it odd that Bryant did not want an investigation into the theft.
Bryant's ex-girlfriend, Avyonne Smyre, testified about their arguments the night Morales disappeared and noted suspicious scratches on Bryant's truck.
Last Wednesday concluded with emotional testimonies from Morales' mother and sister, detailing their search efforts using the Life360 app.
Photos | Susana Morales
Who is Miles Bryant?
- He was a Doraville Police officer. After his arrest, the department said Bryant was no longer employed with them, calling him a "now former police officer."
- Bryant lived on Windscape Village Lane in Norcross, near the location where Susana Morales lived and originally went missing.
- He also lived and served as a courtesy officer at the apartment complex where Susana had gone to visit.
- Chief McClure previously said that investigators have not established if Morales and Bryant knew each other prior to her death.
- In a press conference last year, McClure acknowledged previous incidents involving Bryant - pointing to one in 2018, in which he had allegedly tried to enter a neighbor's home through the window. Additionally, there were allegations in December 2022 that Bryant tried to enter a residence where a woman said he was stalking her.