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A.J. Scott convicted in retrial of 2015 vehicular homicide case
The jury convicted A.J. Scott on five of six counts in the retrial of a deadly crash from 2015. Prosecutors said Scott was driving 90 mph without lights or sirens before slamming into a car carrying four teenagers. The defense argued the teen driver may have been impaired and failed to yield; Scott faces up to 30 years if convicted.
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - A jury convicted Buchanan Mayor A.J. Scott in the retrial of a 2015 crash that happened while he worked for the Georgia State Patrol.
What we know:
The jury found Scott guilty on five of six charges. He was convicted on one count of homicide by vehicle in the second degree, two counts of serious injury by vehicle and speeding. He was found not guilty on a separate count of homicide by vehicle in the second degree.
Deputies put former trooper and Buchanan Mayor A.J. Scott in handcuffs after he was convicted in the retrial of a 2015 deadly crash. The jury found Scott guilty on five of six charges. (FOX 5)
Jurors deliberated for about seven hours Wednesday and eight hours Tuesday. During that time, they asked the judge to replay video from the trial, including dash camera footage from Scott’s patrol car and body camera footage from first responders.
What they're saying:
The mothers of the two teens killed in the crash said they can finally move on with their lives after a decade.
When asked if they had any words for Scott, one mother told FOX 5, "he took my daughter's last breath, and I'll be damned if I let him take mine."
Big picture view:
Kylie Lindsay, 17, and Isabella Chinchilla, 16, were killed when Scott’s car crashed into theirs on Highway 27. Two other teen boys in the car were badly hurt and testified during the trial about the crash.
Chinchilla’s mother said the wait for a verdict has been agonizing but not without hope.
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Family waiting for verdict in Carroll County
The jury for the trial of former Georgia State Patrol trooper and current mayor of Buchanan is still deliberating. FOX 5 Atlanta spoked to one mother who said she was hopeful.
"It gives me hope. It does. However, we’ve been going… I’m not going to say my hope is dwindling. But the facts are the facts. And if it would have been any other citizen, we would not be here today. I’m thankful that they were staying and trying to come to an agreement. I’m disappointed… we’re praying that that happens today," she told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Timeline:
Investigators said Scott was driving 90 mph in a 55-mph zone seconds before impact. He admitted he was not responding to a call and did not have his lights or siren activated.
"Five seconds prior to impact, the defendant was doing 90 miles an hour. Two seconds prior to impact, he is doing 83," prosecutors told the jury.
Scott testified that he tried to swerve at the last second but could not avoid the other vehicle. His attorneys argued that the teen driver, Dillon Wall, who survived, might have been impaired and should have yielded at the intersection.
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What's next:
The judge has not set a sentencing date for Scott.
He faces more than 30 years in prison.
FOX 5 reached out to Buchanan city leaders to ask about what, if anything, happens with his role as mayor. Nobody has yet to respond.