 |
        |  |
 |
INNOCENT MAN FOUND NOT GUILTY OF MURDER
A Covington, Georgia man accused of Malice Murder, Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault was found not guilty by a jury after a four day trial on Friday, September 24, 2004.
Orlando Price was accused of shooting Michael Ramey in the abdomen in the parking lot of a Saverite store near Panola Road in Dekalb County. Mr. Price was represented by the Atlanta based law firm of Farnham, LLC. David Farnham, a seasoned and experienced trial lawyer, was lead counsel. Michael Rothenberg, who at twenty-six was trying his first murder case, sat second chair. The prosecutor was Sheila Connors from the Dekalb County District Attorney. Chief Judge Linda W. Hunter presided over the trial.
A diverse jury heard testimony from an eyewitness at the scene who saw Mr. Ramey bent over and yelling, “I’m shot, I’m shot”. The witness identified two men and three cars at the scene, but under cross examination was unable to identify Mr. Price as matching any of the descriptions of the men he saw that night. The State called three Dekalb County officers who admitted on the stand that they did not fingerprint the inside of the car in which Mr. Ramey had ridden, did not test the firearms at the scene and admitted they had no physical evidence of any kind tying Mr. Price to the murder. The Dekalb County medical examiner admitted under cross examination that he was unable to rule out accidental shooting as the cause of Mr. Ramey’s death. Mr. Ramey had a large amount of cocaine and marijuana in his car, along with a 9mm handgun and a Glock 357.
The State brought down four inspectors from Canada who testified they found Mr. Price at the Canadian border with a gun in his car; Mr. Price fled from the scene and was apprehended at a Niagra Falls hotel. None of the inspectors could testify to anything involving the murder.
The State’s star witnesses, two men who were with Mr. Price and Mr. Ramey on the day in question, pinned the murder on Mr. Price, but were unable to explain discrepancies in their testimony. Under cross examination, the witnesses admitted that they matched the physical descriptions of the men seen at the scene, but denied involvement.
Mr. Price took the stand. He testified that two men borrowed his car and left with the victim from their house. Only two came back. He vehemently denied involvement in the murder and at one point Judge Hunter cautioned Mr. Price to control his emotions on the stand. Cell phone records introduced by the state corroborated Mr. Price’s account.
After roughly 7 hours of deliberation, the jury found Mr. Price not guilty on all counts.
FARNHAM, LLC www.frlaw.org
|
|
  |
| This
web site is designed for general information only. The information presented
|