TUSKEGEE − A Macon County jury will return Tuesday morning to continue deliberations about the fate of a man accused of killing an Alabama sheriff after initially sending the judge a note saying they could not reach a verdict.
William Chase Johnson , 22, of Montgomery was originally indicted on capital murder charges in the case. He is charged with shooting and killing popular Lowndes County Sheriff “Big John” Williams in November 2019. Retired Escambia County Circuit Judge Bert Rice, who is presiding in the case, gave the jury the option of considering lesser charges of murder and manslaughter.
The jury is made up of 10 women and two men, including 10 Black and two white jurors. They deliberated for about nine hours over two days. They sent Rice a note mid-afternoon Friday saying they could not reach a verdict, and he gave them a shortened instruction of how the law applies in the case and sent them back to continue deliberations.
There was a concern that a mistrial would have to declared. In that case, a new trial would take place with a new jury.