Georgia Deputies Acquitted of Murder in Tasing Death After Eight-Year Legal Battle

Three former Georgia sheriff’s deputies were found not guilty of murder late Thursday in the 2017 death of Eurie Martin, a 58-year-old Black man who died after being repeatedly shocked with tasers during an encounter in…

Andrew PowellNov 21, 20253 min read

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Authorities were called after homeowner Cyrus Harris Jr. spotted Martin in his yard.

“He was a Black man, big guy,” Harris testified. “He was a rough-looking character. He looked like he hadn’t had a bath in several days.”

Harris said Martin asked him for water while holding half a soda can. “And I wasn’t going to go for that,” he said, explaining why he called 911.

When deputies arrived, they said Martin refused to stop walking, dropped the can, and took an aggressive stance.

Dash-camera and cellphone footage showed deputies surrounding Martin and firing Tasers multiple times as he tried to walk away. Investigators later determined deputies pulled the triggers at least 15 times, delivering about a minute and a half of electrical current.

A Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner ruled Martin’s death a homicide. The sheriff fired all three deputies shortly afterward.

Defense attorneys argued the deputies acted lawfully. “This case is not ‘poor Mr. Eurie Martin getting tased because he wanted water,’” attorney Shawn Merzlak told jurors. “Police officers have a right to detain somebody if they suspect they have committed a crime.”

Prosecutor George Lipscomb urged jurors to reject that argument. “They want this to be the standard for your community: People killed for littering?” he said. “People killed by walking in the street? Is that Washington County? Is this who you are?”

The local district attorney recused himself during the second trial, and the prosecution was handled by Columbus-area District Attorney Don Kelley.

Pete Skandalakis, head of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, said Kelley will decide whether to pursue a third trial for Copeland and Howell.

Meanwhile, civil rights attorney Francys Johnson said the Martin family’s federal civil suit will continue. “As a free man in this country, he should have been able to walk home,” Johnson said.