GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Family and friends of a Gwinnett County 16-year-old reported missing and later found dead testified in court Wednesday.
A murder trial is underway for the ex-Doraville officer accused in the case, Miles Bryant.
"You don't have to like my client," his attorney said in court. "In fact, in the conclusion of this trial, you are going to think he is the most callous, uncaring coward you have ever seen. However, he is not guilty of the murder..."
After opening statements, several of Morales' loved ones took the stand to share more about the 16-year-old and the last day they saw her alive. On July 26, 2022, Morales was visiting friends at the Sterling Glen apartment complex on Indian Trail Lilburn Road. It's alleged that Bryant kidnapped Morales before killing her. He lived at the apartment complex where the teen was last seen alive.
Friends of Morales, Kelly Paguada and Alyssa Marvin, also lived there and said Morales would visit them. They were all together hanging out before she disappeared. Paguada said that night, she walked Morales to the gate and the teen headed home. It was the last time she would ever see her friend.
Her mother, Maria Bran, tearfully described the hours after she realized her daughter went missing. She was reported missing the following morning. An interpreter was present to translate her testimony from Spanish to English.
"I was not able to sleep," she said, referencing the night her daughter didn't return home.
She reached out to her friends, looking for the teen. Watch some of her emotional testimony below.
Her sister, Jasmine Perez, also shared details about the Life360 screenshots presented in court. The app provides location services. They searched to no avail for Morales, put up flyers, and canvassed the area, hoping to find her. It was months before her remains were found in a wooded area along a creek.
“I couldn’t believe. I didn’t want it to be true. I wanted to see her. I wanted proof that it was her," Perez said.
During cross-examination, the defense attempted to poke holes in the timeline of Morales' disappearance in an effort to prove that Bryant couldn't be responsible for killing the teen. The charges he faces include murder, kidnapping, criminal attempt to commit rape, and others.
The judge said she anticipates the trial will last about two weeks. Multiple law enforcement officers are expected to testify; Bryant is also expected to take the stand. Court is expected to resume around 9 a.m. Thursday.