Dad changes stance about pregnant daughter's death

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A local father now says he was wrong when he stood up for the man accused of killing his pregnant daughter.

Lawrence Pope called Channel 2 Action News Tuesday morning while still grieving the loss of his daughter, Meghann, and her unborn child.

"This has hurt our entire family in many ways that we could never, never imagine," Pope told investigative reporter Aaron Diamant.

Henry County police said Pope's boyfriend, Brian Feltman, drove into her with a pickup truck early on a Sunday morning back in August as she walked down the street near her home in the Heron Bay subdivision in Locust Grove. However, when police charged Fetlman with murder, Pope's parents quickly came to his defense.

"We believe it was an accident,” Pope told Channel 2 Action News in August. “We've known Brian just a little short period of time, but we don't believe Brian did this of malice at all."

After learning his daughter was in an allegedly abusive relationship with Feltman, and that Feltman gave conflicting reports to police about what happened that night, Pope now feels he spoke too soon.

"This is not an accident, just as simple as that," Pope said Tuesday.

On Monday a judge bound Feltman's case over to Superior Court on lesser vehicular manslaughter and feticide by motor vehicle charges, but a grand jury could still indict Feltman for murder.

"Whether they come back or not, he'll get justice at the end, and whatever that justice is, our state puts on him, our family will be ok with, whatever that may be," Pope said.

Pope also explained why his family initially offered Feltman its support.

"At first we didn't know anything,” Pope said. “We had a hard time believing anybody would just run over our daughter and murder her."

Prosecutors will now present their case to a grand jury which will ultimately decide if murder charges are appropriate in this case. Meanwhile, Feltman is still locked up at the Henry County Jail, unable to make $100,000 bond.

WSBTV