VALDOSTA —
A series of witnesses testified Monday during a murder and burglary trial at the Lowndes County Superior Court, as attorneys attempted to piece together the puzzle of an incident that resulted in a man left lifeless on his front porch and shell casings scattered about the steps.
Brandon Keith Henry sat mostly silent Monday, as his defense attorney, Billy Folsom, sparred with Assistant Southern District Attorney Brad Shealy, over details surrounding the murder of 37-year-old John Golden.
Henry faces charges of burglary, malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He’s suspected of removing an AK-47 assault rifle from a residence without permission and opening fire on a man who had been grilling food on his porch on the night of Aug. 9, 2010.
“Now, normally I don’t comment on evidence, but this is indeed a puzzle,” said Folsom. “And part of the puzzle is the fact that there was an argument that developed into an altercation that night. A lot of this case is what we call circumstantial evidence, and there are a lot of holes in this story.”
Subpoenaed witnesses ranged from crime lab employees and detectives to ex-girlfriends and those who’d simply heard gunshots on the night of the shooting.
The incident reportedly occurred in the aftermath of a party that had seen several scuffles. One witness testified that he had engaged in several fights with a neighborhood youth, before his opponent’s stepfather dispersed the rivals.
That same evening, the youth’s stepfather, John Golden, 37, was found dead on his porch. Crime scene photos depict shattered glass, a toppled grill and a man who had been ravaged by bullet wounds.
“I heard pow — then I heard pow, pow, pow, pow,” said one witness as she described the succession of shots she heard that night.
One witness testified seeing a man carrying a large garbage bag that night and, drawing from military experience, said the bag had the outline of a concealed assault rifle.
Another witness said she purchased an AK-47 at a pawn shop on Henry’s behalf, which was wrapped in plastic and stored in a closet at the residence where the alleged burglary occurred. She stated that she had bought the weapon for Henry, but admitted that there was another person who had been living at her residence on and off.
Several witnesses testified that Henry had separated the combative factions at one point during the party, and stated that he neither brandished a weapon of any kind nor appeared upset while he was at the party.
Henry’s defense attorney seemed keen on the time each of the case’s events occurred, emphasizing to the jury that the time frame between when Henry was last seen that night and the point in time when shots were heard.
Henry was reportedly arrested on Aug. 11, 2010, at a residence on Palm Place were he was found bathing in bleach, according to testimony from an arresting officer.
Shealy wanted jurors to understand the state was not seeking the death penalty in the case, after a metaphor in which Folsom described the group of 12 as holding Henry’s life in their hands as they weighed case facts.
The two sides prepare for closing arguments today, ahead of the trial jury’s verdict for each of the case’s three counts.
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