After emotional day in court, testimony continues in trial of ex-officer accused of murdering teen

Testimony is continuing on Friday in the trial of former Doraville police officer Miles Bryant, who is accused of murdering a 16-year-old girl in Gwinnett County.

Prosecutors say former Doraville police officer Miles Bryant kidnapped and murdered Susana Morales in July 2022.

Bryant’s trial began earlier this week.

Watch the trial LIVE on WSBTV.com and the WSB-TV news app. Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco will break down the latest in the trial on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4:00 p.m.

[ TIMELINE: Here are key moments in the tragic murder of 16-year-old Susana Morales ]

Lt. Xavier Biggers of the Gwinnett County Police Department became emotional on Thursday when he testified in court that he made it his mission to find the missing teenager.

“My wife is Hispanic, and it really touched me. I felt like it was my duty to find her,” Biggers said.

The prosecution alleges Bryant abducted Morales as she was leaving a friend’s home in Norcross. Bryant, who lived and worked as a security officer at the same apartment complex, reportedly offered Morales and her friend, Rose Castillo, a ride to a nearby gas station. The teenagers declined the offer.

“It wasn’t odd for us to get an offer for a ride; we were young girls in the neighborhood. It wasn’t unusual, so we just sort of laughed it off,” Castillo said.

RELATED STORIES:

• Officer fights tears on the stand during trial for man accused of killing 16-year-old Gwinnett girl
• Ex-officer charged in Gwinnett teen’s disappearance, murder declines plea deal
• Former officer charged with 16-year-old Gwinnett girl’s murder now charged with trying to rape her
• Family of murdered Gwinnett teen files lawsuit against apartment complex where she was last seen

Police found Bryant’s service weapon in the woods where Morales’ remains were found months after her disappearance. Bryant claimed someone had stolen the gun from his car, but prosecutors argue he accidentally dropped it while disposing of Morales’ naked body.

Bryant is expected to testify in his own defense.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks ]