Judge Misreads Verdict Against Man Who Killed Cop

Photo from imnolawyerbut on TikTok.

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A judge mistakenly announced a “guilty” verdict against a man who was actually “not guilty.” The man had been facing a life sentence after killing a police officer attempting to solicit sex from him.

What Happened

On a cold December night in 2022, Alton Oliver was walking home from work at about 4:30 am. That’s when he said a man in a vehicle pulled up alongside him and offered him a ride which he declined.

According to Oliver, the man in the car, undeterred, returned for a second time and propositioned him with sex. Again, Oliver declined. By the third time the man came back around, Oliver said he feared for his life. That’s when he opened fire, striking and killing the man before continuing his trip home.

Not long after, officers found the man’s body slumped over the steering wheel of his car on Bolton Road, where he had crashed, Atlanta police Maj. Pete Malecki said. The man was later identified as 24-year-old off-duty officer and veteran Fulton County Deputy James Thomas Jr. This led to a reward of $30,000 being offered to anyone offering information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Alton Oliver was later arrested.

Since his arrest, Oliver had been facing multiple charges of murder and aggravated assault. In a move that shocked the courtroom, Oliver took the stand and told his story. The jury believed him.

The Verdict

On Friday, August 15th, in a courtroom quiet as the vacuum of space, Judge Henry M. Newkirk read Alton Oliver’s verdict. “We, the jury, find the defendant guilty as to all six counts with the bill of indictment. Sheriff, will you please hand this to the state’s counsel and pass it over to–” Newkirk said to the court before being interrupted by several confused jurors who had just reached the verdict. He responded by saying, “Didn’t I say ‘not’?”

Reasonably, the jury was shocked because they had reached a “not guilty” verdict. The judge appeared shocked by the reaction of the courtroom and later corrected himself and the record. Oliver didn’t flinch or make any celebrations. He just wanted — and got — his life back.

The Takeaway

Alton Oliver was found not guilty of the murder of off-duty deputy James Thomas Jr. The jury reached the verdict after deliberating for 9 hours. However, the judge misread the verdict but later corrected himself and the record. For Oliver, this is just the course correction needed to get his life back on track. You can watch his exclusive interview with 11Alive.com here.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block.