Trial begins for man accused of killing Athens cop

CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — The murder trial of an accused cop killer is underway after years of delays.
 
Jamie Hood fired two sets of public defenders and is now acting as his own lawyer.
 
Prosecutors began laying out their case against him Thursday.
 
Hood told jurors that this isn't about justice, it's about revenge.       
 
"I seen a guy jump out of the trunk of a Cadillac.  He was tied up and his pants were down," a caller said during a 911 call in March 2011.
 
That call started a long day that ended in the shooting death of Athens-Clarke County police Officer Elmer Buddy Christian and the wounding of Officer Tony Howard.
 
Hood was already a suspect in another murder and police say he kidnapped a man in connection with that crime.
 
When that man escaped police started searching for hood.
 
Howard and Christian found him and prosecutors said Hood opened fire.
 
"Jamie Hood came out and he came up to him and put the gun in the car and up to Tony Howard, gun in the car and shot him and shot him another time," said Prosecutor Ken Mauldin.
 
"They say I ambushed the police.  They said that I assassinated the police," Hood said.
 
Hood never denied shooting the officers. Instead he tried to convince jurors that he was justified because of years of bad blood between Howard, Athens-Clarke County police and his own family.
 
Police shot and killed his brother years ago.
 
"They have told the public that I went on a murder spree because of a drug connection. Evidence will show that these are a bunch of ugly lies. They are not just lies, ugly lies," Hood said.
 
Because of Hood's lack of legal experience, the trial is moving along very slowly.
 
The prosecution has more than a 100 witnesses. The trial could be going on for more than a month.

The trial will resume at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Check back with WSBTV.com and Channel 2 Action News for live coverage from the courtroom.

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