In the late summer of 2011, the community of Sparta, Georgia, was shaken by a violent act that claimed the lives of two of its residents. On the evening of September 11, 33-year-old Darryl Scott, an African American male, was at a home on Tommie Lane with 31-year-old Dedria Greene. It was between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. that the violence erupted. Both Scott and Greene were shot in what would later be described as a double homicide. A call for help was made from someone else inside the residence, and law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene. Scott was found conscious but gravely wounded and ultimately succumbed to his injuries while en route to Oconee Regional Medical Center.
The investigation into the double murder led authorities to a single suspect: 19-year-old Brandon Charleston. In the fall of the following year, a Hancock County grand jury indicted Charleston on a total of seven charges related to the deaths of Scott and Greene. The charges included two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and burglary. The indictment alleged that Charleston had not only murdered the two victims but had also fired a pistol at Greene's son, who managed to escape injury by hiding in a bathtub. Additionally, Charleston was accused of stealing a necklace from Scott during the commission of the crimes.
The trial of Brandon Charleston commenced in August 2013 at the Baldwin County Courthouse, with jury selection taking place in Hancock County. The prosecution, led by the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, presented its case, calling over 40 witnesses to testify. The defendant faced the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole. After the presentation of evidence and arguments, the jury began its deliberations. For nearly twelve hours, they weighed the testimony and evidence brought before them.
Ultimately, the jury acquitted Brandon Charleston on four of the seven charges: the two counts of malice murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of burglary. They were, however, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining three charges, which included the two counts of felony murder and the charge of aggravated assault. The families of Darryl Scott and Dedria Greene were left with a sense of disappointment and a lack of closure following the verdict. The prosecution expressed its disagreement with the acquittals and stated it would consider its options regarding the three charges on which the jury was hung.
