CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — Friends and family of a murdered Athens police officer spoke at his killer’s sentencing Wednesday.
The jury convicted Jamie Hood of killing Officer Buddy Christian and injuring officer Tony Howard. They are now considering giving Hood the death penalty.
Many cried on the stand as they told jurors about their loss.
“It's hard. On March 22, 2011, my world fell apart,” said Christian’s mother, Carolyn.
Carolyn Christian could barely get through her victim impact statement as she tried to talk about the loss of her son, Buddy.
The jury also got a chance to see a video of Buddy Christian made years ago.
“There is a big void in my heart and it hurts so bad because of the fact that I miss him so much,” Carolyn Christian said.
Bailiffs passed tissue boxes to jurors as they listened to the statements and watched Buddy Christian's widow show family photos of their lives together. The jurors listened to the carefully written and judge-approved victim impact statements, including the statement of Christian's father.
“I just keep telling myself, there was nothing I could do, but that's little comfort,” Elmer Bud Christian said.
Officer Howard took the stand himself and talked about his long road to recovery after sustaining two gunshot wounds and his years of survivor's guilt.
“At one point, I was afraid to face the men and women who wore the badge, because I felt that I let them down in getting shot because one person lived and another person died,” Howard said on the stand.
At one point, Hood asked for a mistrial for the sentencing portion, but the judge denied the motion.
Thursday morning Hood will begin presenting his case, trying to convince a jury to give him life in prison instead of the death penalty.
WSBTV
