A Fulton County judge mispoke while reading the defendant’s verdict in a Georgia court on Friday, telling him he was guilty when the ju judge deemed him innocent.
Alton Oliver was tried in 2022 over the murder of a Fulton County deputy and faced counts of six, including three murders, reported WXIA, Atlanta’s NBC affiliate.
Videos from the court show the moment when the judge accidentally told Oliver he was guilty.
After confirming with the ju apprentice that the documents were correct, the judge read the verdict.
Oliver and his legal team sat silently, but the courtroom began to question the judge’s reading audibly, urging them to reconfirm the paper.
“Did I say ‘Not’? ” the judge asked the room, but many responded, “No.”
He apologised and this time he reread the statement correctly. The people in the courtroom laughed and applauded.
After learning that he had been acquitted, Oliver hugged his defense team, the video shows.
Earlier in the week, Oliver testified that Thomas acted in self-defense when Oliver shot Deputy James Thomas after repeated driving and making unwanted sexual advances, WXIA reported.
