Witness testimony begins in trial of former officer accused in death of Gwinnett County teen

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect information from courts. 

Opening statements began on Wednesday after jury selection wrapped up on Tuesday evening the murder case of a 16-year-old Gwinnett County girl where the suspect charged in the case is an ex-police officer. 

Selection for the jury began on Monday, and 12 jurors and alternates were selected. 

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. Gwinnett Police later detailed a timeline of how they believed she was killed by Bryant after she'd gone to visit a friend the night of July 26, 2022.

You can watch the trial in the video player above and on 11Alive's YouTube channel. 

Where the case stands

Bryant is in jail and has been denied bond twice, most recently in May 2023. 

Since his arrest, police have released a tentative outline of events:  

• On July 26, 2022, Susana Morales went to visit a friend in a nearby apartment complex, and she was taken between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. while returning home. Police believe that she was killed sometime by 2 a.m.
• Susana Morales was reported missing the next morning, July 27, at 9 a.m.
• "By the time she was reported missing we have every reason to believe that Susana was deceased," Doraville Police Chief James D. McClure said.
• He also said there was "no indication" Susana had been shot to death. 

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.