Summary of Offense:
Nicholas Jason Bryant sentenced to death on December 14, 2007 for a double murder in May 2004--the 15th consecutive time a jury in Douglas County sentenced someone to death when requested to do so.
Bryant killed Billy Joe Kilgore, 68, and Marie Richards, 36, during a robbery, Douglas County District Attorney David McDade said. Bryant shot both victims in the back of the head with a .44-caliber handgun, the prosecutor said.
"I'm mighty proud of Douglas County jurors," McDade said. "It's the 15th time in a row they've returned a death verdict when we've sought one. We've got the death penalty every time we sought it."
Bryant, while out on parole for a prior burglary conviction, killed Kilgore and Richards on May 21, 2004, and then fled to North Carolina, where he was arrested after a standoff with authorities, McDade said.
Josh Moore, one of Bryant's lawyers, said the case is far from over. An appeal will be filed asking for a new trial, he said.
Part of the record in the case, developed before the trial, shows "that David McDade is completely out of step with the rest of this state and has sought the death penalty five times more often than the average prosecutor in Georgia," Moore said.
"I personally believe we have seen signs that the Georgia Supreme Court may be growing weary of Mr. McDade's over zealousness," Moore said.
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