A former member of the Georgia National Guard testifies he cannot remember fatally shooting an off-duty police officer outside a Waffle House in Griffin in 2014.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Michael Bowman claims PTSD from three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His lawyer also cites a traumatic brain injury from his first tour in Iraq.
"I just remember him telling us to leave, but I don't remember nothing else," Bowman testifies during his death penalty trial in LaGrange. The AJC reports the trial was moved due to pre-trial coverage of the high-profile case.
Bowman testifies he experiences nightmares about his deployments several times a week. He sleeps with a pistol on his nightstand or under his pillow.
Bowman's lawyer argues he is not criminally responsible for Officer Kevin Jordan's death. After a disturbance in the restaurant, Bowman is accused of shooting Jordan five times in the back in the Waffle House parking lot. Jordan's brother, who happened to be there, shot and critically wounded Bowman.
A military attorney monitored Bowman's testimony.
During cross-examination, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ben Coker pressed Bowman about steroid use and whether that contributed to his sleeplessness and irritability.
The defense expects to wrap up its case tomorrow.