Editor’s note: A previous version of this story and video incorrectly reported the date when Bruce Helmly died. This has since been corrected and the video removed. We apologize for this error.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – The trial of Charles Teeples IV, accused of fatally assaulting Savannah resident Bruce Helmly on New Year’s Eve 2019, opened Tuesday as jurors heard witness testimony and viewed body-camera footage taken immediately after the incident.
Tuesday’s proceedings focused on opening statements and witness accounts describing the events that preceded Helmly’s death. The prosecution says the altercation began at a private party at Basil’s Bar on Wilmington Island, where Teeples— then 19-yearsold— was drinking underage.
Prosecutors told jurors that witness testimony and video evidence link Teeples to a punch that left Helmly injured. One witness testified that Teeples warned others he was about to act, saying they “wouldn’t like what he was about to do,” before striking Helmly…