Georgia prosecutor drops charges in murder case, citing officer misconduct

A Georgia prosecutor dropped charges this week against six individuals in pending murder cases, including a triple homicide, citing officer misconduct. Former Savannah police detective Ashley Wood and former police Cpl. Darryl Repress face multiple charges related to alleged misconduct, including perjury and violation of oath by a public officer.

Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones said her office reviewed approximately 50 cases involving the indicted officers. It found it had to dismiss some of those cases because of misconduct.

The officers’ alleged deceptions had far-reaching consequences. They allegedly led to the arrest, detention and prosecution of several individuals based on potentially tainted evidence and testimony.

The DA said her office called the victims’ families to inform them of her decision to drop those charges.

“Those families suffer a grave injustice,” Cook Jones said. “Not just because they lost a family member, but also because the criminal justice process will not be able to secure a conviction in those cases for various legal and evidentiary reasons.”

Cook Jones said it is unlikely any of the dismissed cases would be reopened. However, she said she could if new evidence emerges.

In addition to the dropped charges, four other felony cases involving killings were previously resolved through plea deals.

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