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00:009-1-1, what's the emergency?
00:19I don't know what happened.
00:21I'm picking up my daughter and my grandson.
00:23And I got out of the car.
00:25My ex-wife's boyfriend started beating the s*** out of me.
00:28I see my gun on the ground and I grabbed it and pulled the trigger as fast as I could.
00:37From how I could see it, he was defending himself.
00:40She heard the beating. She saw the shooting.
00:44That creates a basis for self-defense.
00:47John's own daughter could save his life here with the information that she has.
00:51This has been pretty tough on my daughter.
00:53I truly wish that she didn't have to go through this.
00:57Unfortunately, John's daughter is starting to change her testimony in favor of the prosecution.
01:02We're not sure how she's going to testify at trial at this point.
01:06You've already said you lied.
01:08Who else have you lied to?
01:14I'm definitely afraid. I don't want to go to prison.
01:17I'm definitely afraid. I don't want to go to prison.
01:21Whatever the rest of my life is, we're going to learn soon.
01:24We, the jury, find the defendant John Eugene Morgan.
01:27John Morgan.
01:45My name is Brandon Henderson. I am a criminal defense attorney here in Cleveland.
01:49I represent John Morgan.
01:51He is currently charged with a count of intentional murder of a man by the name of Daniel Peak.
01:57He is also charged with felony murder, whereby no intent needs to be there.
02:03And then on top of that, he is also charged with a count of felonious assault.
02:08The prosecution have offered a plea agreement of up to 14 years.
02:13With John's significant health issues, there's no way he can take that.
02:18So we're kind of in a stuck position here where we have to go to trial.
02:25So on the morning of July 31st, 2022,
02:29John was on his way to pick up his daughter as well as his grandson from his ex-wife's house.
02:36He got over there. He saw Daniel Peak Sr., his ex-wife's boyfriend,
02:41coming off the porch in a very heated type of manner.
02:46John got out of the vehicle.
02:47He pulls his firearm out.
02:49Very quickly shot a warning shot into the ground.
02:54John then does take a swipe at Daniel Peak Sr.
02:58Very quickly shot a warning shot into the ground.
03:03John then does take a swipe.
03:06As he's swinging, he throws away the weapon
03:10and attempts to use his weight to kind of bear hug him and take him to the ground.
03:16Right at that time is when Daniel Peak's son is running off the porch
03:20and you could just see a brutal stomp to the back of John's head.
03:25The two just start to punch, kick, stomp.
03:31At one point, Dan Peak Sr. drags John and he literally falls right on the gun.
03:37John turns around and shoots.
03:40He has no idea that Daniel's running away.
03:43He just wanted them to stop beating him.
03:49Daniel Peak, unfortunately, was struck and was pronounced dead later.
03:53It was probably the unluckiest shot for not only both Daniel Peak Sr. but also John Morgan.
03:58Now we're in this position and it's a tough case knowing the fact that this is an all or nothing situation with John.
04:07Trial is really approaching fast.
04:10As far as building the case, it's been good progress so far.
04:13Our self-defense expert does believe that John was justified in his actions that day,
04:18which I think lends a lot of credibility to our case.
04:21However, one of the major issues that we are facing is with regards to John's daughter, Caitlin.
04:29Initially, she was on John's side with regards to my dad would never do this.
04:34My dad, he's never shot anyone before.
04:39From how I could see it, he was defending himself.
04:42I could see him and I could hear him hitting my dad.
04:46We have a lot of text messages from her phone that claim what type of man Daniel Peak Sr. is,
04:52which does not paint a very nice picture of him.
04:57Unfortunately, I think she is starting to change her testimony in favor of the prosecution.
05:03We believe that her mother has threatened her that if she were to speak with John's attorneys,
05:08she might possibly be kicked out of her house.
05:12She's in a very difficult position.
05:15Obviously, it's a worrying development.
05:18We're not sure how she's going to testify at trial at this point.
05:30Trial is approaching.
05:33I'm running out of time. I have to get this house all sorted out and taken care of,
05:37just in case the worst happens.
05:40This garage is full of memories. Everything in here is a memory.
05:54Look at that, my daughter's name. I remember that.
05:58She wrote her name in the cement when we built the garage.
06:04This has been pretty tough on my daughter.
06:06This has been pretty tough on my daughter.
06:08I truly wish that she didn't have to go through this or experience any of this.
06:15I think my son's name is around here somewhere. It's right over here.
06:25My son is one of my most important supporters, my greatest supporters.
06:29He believes in me 100%.
06:32Him and his family are coming over today. We're having a cookout.
06:36I get to play with my granddaughter. It's always great to see them.
06:45There he is.
06:46Give him a big hug.
06:47Go get him.
06:51As far as me and my dad's relationship, we've been best buddies.
06:56Okay, give me a kissy and you can go.
06:58Okay.
06:59He's always been there as long as I can remember.
07:01He does what he can to make anything happen that he can for me and my family.
07:10You still planning on coming to court?
07:12Absolutely. Yeah, we plan on being there for as much of it as possible can.
07:19Ares, can you reach the tree?
07:20Can you get one?
07:24Be careful.
07:26Be careful.
07:28I've thought about what I'm going to tell her, you know, if he goes away.
07:33And I haven't really figured that out yet because I don't know the answer to what I'm going to tell her.
07:40I don't.
07:45I got it.
07:46Good job.
07:47You got it?
07:48Yeah.
07:56I believe what I believe.
07:57So I'm going to take the side that I believe is right.
08:02If my mother doesn't want to talk to me about it, that's fine too.
08:05But I have no problems with her.
08:08It's tragic.
08:11It's a wrongful charge.
08:12It's not murder.
08:13You need to look up the definition of murder and that's not what this is.
08:19I'm just waiting for them to say they're not guilty and praying every night for that.
08:25Well.
08:28Yeah.
08:40I think it's very important that John testifies in this case.
08:43Certainly with Kaitlyn beginning to change her story here, it makes it even more imperative.
08:49So what we've done is ask John to come in in order to press him a little bit as far as, you know, how the prosecution may press him.
08:56When he gets up there and takes that stand, this could be the thing that wins it or loses it for him.
09:00Go John.
09:01How you doing?
09:02Good, how are you?
09:03It's very important that we put a lot of time into this.
09:06This is a crucial meeting.
09:08So I appreciate you coming down today.
09:10One of the last things we need to do in anticipation of trial is we need to get you ready for your testimony in the event that you do testify.
09:17Which we believe that you will.
09:19So Brandon's going to be the bad guy, unfortunately, and focus on those questions.
09:24All right?
09:26Mr. Morgan, as you're driving over there, you get a text from your daughter, correct?
09:29Yes.
09:30Okay.
09:31And she says, come pick me up at the corner, right?
09:33Yes.
09:34Okay.
09:35You just flat out ignore it, correct?
09:39No.
09:40No, I replied and said, I'm almost there, just wait.
09:44Okay.
09:45You did not do what she requested, is that right?
09:47It wasn't...
09:48You did not do what she requested, is that correct?
09:50No, I didn't.
09:52So you go whipping into the driveway.
09:54You then see Dan walking around heated on the porch, and you don't put two and two together at that point?
10:03No, I...
10:04Mr. Morgan, you're a smarter man than this.
10:06Come on.
10:07I mean, I never had an interaction with the guy.
10:09I had no reason to think he was going to...
10:10You had no interaction with this guy.
10:11Is that the truth or a lie?
10:12Is that the truth or a lie?
10:14I talked to him on the phone.
10:17Part of self-defense is, who's the initial aggressor?
10:21You don't think taking a gun and shooting it into the ground in front of somebody's feet is an act of aggression?
10:29Yes.
10:31John, you're playing into their hands.
10:34When you fired the shot into the ground, that was not an act of aggression.
10:38That was an act of self-defense.
10:40And you let Brandon walk you right into that.
10:42I am certainly not trying to be a jerk towards you, but at the same point, it's our job to make sure you're ready and prepared.
10:50Don't reach. Don't force things.
10:52If you don't know, you don't know.
10:54Don't sit there and try to guess, man.
10:56That'll get you in a bucket of hot water, okay?
10:59We are very close to trial at this point, and based on how today went, I'm very concerned.
11:05All right, John, listen.
11:06Appreciate you coming in.
11:08All right, John.
11:10We appreciate you.
11:11All right.
11:13If he does that performance with the prosecution when he's on the stand, it could mean trouble for us.
11:17We get to walk away at the end of the day, but for Don, it may be the rest of his life in prison.
11:22So the stakes couldn't get any higher.
11:40So, headed to John's house like I typically do after work, check in, see how he's doing.
11:47He's struggling big time.
11:50I don't know how many times I have been sitting at work worried about him.
11:59I don't know how many times I've had to go to the bathroom.
12:03I don't know how many times I've had to go to the bathroom.
12:05Sitting at work, worried about him.
12:12To where I'd have to leave and go do wellness checks just to make sure he was still alive.
12:21We're coming up to it, so that's all he can focus on.
12:25That's all he thinks about.
12:29And then he totally shuts down.
12:32In what, a week, week and a half?
12:36Could possibly lose him.
12:38He could possibly lose everything.
12:46If he faces prison, I'm going to be there to support him regardless.
12:55Throughout the whole thing, however it turns out.
13:01Hi.
13:12Hi.
13:13Hello.
13:32After John's arrest, he sat in jail until he was bonded out roughly about two weeks.
13:37During that time frame, what they do is record all jail phone calls.
13:41Alright buddy.
13:42What's up?
13:43Good.
13:44How are you?
13:45Good.
13:46Alright.
13:47And so there was a phone call between John and his girlfriend Megan.
13:51So we're going to sit down and analyze that.
13:54Time is ticking here.
13:57We do have a jail phone call.
13:59As you know, this is always a little bit trepidatious for us.
14:03Typically they're not going to provide us stuff like this unless it's something that's incriminating.
14:10Dawn.
14:11Hey.
14:12What's up?
14:13What happened?
14:14I don't know what you do.
14:17I don't either.
14:19I don't think it matters. I think I'm wrong.
14:24You think you're wrong?
14:25Yeah.
14:27Do you remember anything?
14:29No.
14:31No?
14:32No.
14:33I think, I don't know, I think at the point, the second time I shot, I didn't have to, I should have.
14:41Ooh, that's obviously not good.
14:44So let's unpack.
14:45I heard, the second time I shot, I didn't have to.
14:50It's direct evidence that he did not believe that he was in fear of imminent physical harm or death.
14:59That's how the state is going to play this.
15:01However, you've got to imagine the amount of things that are going through his head at this point.
15:05This man, who originally believed that he was justified in firing that gun, is now second guessing himself.
15:12Because a judge has told him that he is a danger to the community, and because a prosecutor has told him that he is guilty of murdering someone.
15:20And that is the narrative that we are going to have to sell to the jury.
15:26We're going to have to put John on the stand, and if we're going to do that, he damn well better be believable.
15:42I take seven pills every morning, six in the evening.
15:55Three pills for blood pressure.
15:57There's a heart pill for heart failure.
16:00Three pills for anxiety.
16:04On top of my physical health, now I have mental health issues because I'm also suffering depression now from this.
16:13Due to this situation, I don't barely go outside.
16:17I never really leave my house.
16:19It's just overwhelming, the amount of stuff that's going on.
16:24One minute I'm perfectly fine, and the next minute tears are running down my cheek like a light switch.
16:31I went from being okay to not being okay.
16:36And I don't know how to explain it.
16:40I'm like deathly afraid of them taking me back to jail.
16:43It's still a fear of losing my freedom, a fear of what's going to happen in court.
16:49How's the trial going to go?
16:51What's going to happen to me?
16:53And I can't deal with it.
16:55I don't know how to deal with it.
17:20Today is actually when kind of all the action starts.
17:24It's been 19 months, and it's all come down to this next week.
17:31It's hard because there's a lot of emotion.
17:34I'm so terrified, I don't know what's going to happen.
17:39There are a ton of nerves when you start a trial.
17:42Jurors have notoriously good poker faces.
17:45But hopefully, at the end, they'll get to know John and realize that this is not a murderer.
17:51This is a man who is behaving in self-defense.
18:01Court is now in session.
18:15The trial is now in session.
18:31Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
18:33At this time, we will have opening statements.
18:36The state proceeds first.
18:42Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
18:45I apologize for having my back to you when I said that.
18:48There are some things you don't do with your back to people.
18:52You don't give an opening statement in a murder trial.
18:55And one other thing you don't do with your back to someone,
18:59you don't give that person reasonable grounds to believe that you are an immediate or imminent threat to cause death or great bodily harm.
19:13Danny Peek, not only had his back to the defendant when he shot him,
19:18Danny Peek was running away from him.
19:21That's not self-defense.
19:28John thinks he's coming over to pick up his daughter and granddaughter,
19:32and Dan's sitting there waiting for him to kick his butt, and John doesn't know any more about it.
19:36The beating ensues.
19:39While Dan's beating him up in the front, Dan Peek Jr. is beating him up in the back,
19:43and we proceed to brutally beat this man on camera.
19:46In order to end the beating and save his life,
19:50John Morgan picks up the gun and blindly fires.
19:54Unlucky shot in his life.
19:58He never wanted to kill Dan.
20:00He just wanted to pick up his daughter and his grandson for dinner.
20:04There is only one just verdict in this case, and that is not guilty on all counts.
20:15So we just learned that the state's first witness is going to be Caitlin Morgan, John's daughter.
20:23Let's just get you out of here. Come on.
20:27It's rough.
20:29We were hoping that Caitlin would be a favorable witness for us,
20:33but now poor John Morgan has to see his own daughter essentially testify against him,
20:39and I cannot imagine the turmoil he must be going through as a result.
20:51Danny saw me getting ready, and he got upset that my dad was coming to get me.
20:56So I was going to go to the corner to get picked up.
21:00I remember my dad coming down, and then he turned into the driveway.
21:07I had seen him get out of the car, and from where I was, I could see Danny come down from the porch.
21:17I didn't see Danny at all anymore after that point, and I heard a gunshot.
21:26I heard a gunshot.
21:40Are you scared of repercussions from the Peek family?
21:42No.
21:43Have you ever told anyone that?
21:44No.
21:45You've never told me that in person?
21:47No, I didn't.
21:49Do you remember ever telling anybody that you were scared of repercussions from your mother?
21:53No.
21:55Okay, let's remember that as well.
21:58After this whole incident, obviously Mr. Peek deceased, a bunch of friends and family were around.
22:05They were talking about how great of a guy he was,
22:07and you felt like you had to bite your tongue because he threatened your mother, correct?
22:13I don't recall this.
22:18Would it help if I refreshed your recollection?
22:21Sure.
22:24Okay.
22:30May I approach you, Hunter?
22:33Caitlin, I'm going to read this text.
22:47This change in testimony, from the way Caitlin was talking to us before and the way she's testifying now,
22:53has completely altered our approach to this trial.
22:55We now have to use evidence to actually impeach her.
22:59We have to show the jury that she's lying.
23:07You were on the road.
23:09If you cannot remember, that is fine.
23:12If you are stalling or just trying to tell a different story, you're in a different world.
23:18We're a jury.
23:23We're a jury.
23:28I'm literally astounded that she's taking this position.
23:31Like, I thought she was going to be hesitant, but I didn't think she was going to flat out lie.
23:42This is devastating.
23:44That's my child up there, and this is the rest of my life on the line here.
23:50I have to imagine the jury thinks the same thing I think.
23:52Why is my daughter not sticking up for me?
24:07Caitlin, I'm going to read this text.
24:10Caitlin was given some time to review the text messages,
24:14which definitely spoke of the character of the deceased, Daniel Peek,
24:18but she also spoke of the true belief that John was not guilty due to self-defense.
24:24So, it's going to be interesting to see what she has to say today.
24:31Now, I think where we left off yesterday was,
24:36Daniel Peek threatened your mother, correct?
24:44Caitlin, we just gave you a chance to review these messages.
24:48Okay.
24:51So, your text message was a lie?
24:56Do you remember saying that he was hateful?
24:59That he was mean?
25:02That he was a racist?
25:05With regards to the incident, you texted from what you could see,
25:10it was self-defense on behalf of your father, correct?
25:14I didn't have all of the information from the start.
25:20You've already said you lied.
25:22And I lied to you guys too, yeah.
25:24Okay, you lied to us too.
25:26Who else have you lied to?
25:28I don't know.
25:29You lied to the folks in the jury?
25:31You came in here yesterday and you held your hand up, didn't you?
25:33And that oath was to tell the truth, right?
25:35Yes.
25:36Thank you. No further questions.
25:50I thought it went extremely well.
25:52She came across as a liar.
25:54She flat out admitted she lied to us.
25:57I think that her mother has her convinced that her father, John,
26:01is going away for life in prison.
26:03And if she doesn't take their side,
26:05then she's not going to have a roof over her head.
26:07I truly believe that.
26:33Obviously, the biggest thing was the video.
26:35That's going to be the biggest point of contention for the jury
26:37more than, I think, the witnesses.
26:39You know, if the jury sees in that video
26:41what the prosecution is trying to say,
26:43John's in trouble, right?
26:45He's going to be found guilty.
26:47It's extremely scary.
27:04Morning, ladies and gentlemen.
27:06At this time, the state may call its next witness.
27:09The state calls the NLP jury.
27:25So when you go outside, what do you see?
27:28Um, you know, I see a lot of people.
27:30When you go outside, what do you see?
27:32Um, him and John Morgan fighting.
27:36And what do you do at this time?
27:39I go and help my dad,
27:41because the dude has a gun and he, like, doubled his eyes.
27:47At the time that your dad was shot,
27:50you were both running away from John, correct?
27:52Yes.
28:01I heard tires squeal.
28:03I went outside.
28:05I saw Danny and Daniel running
28:07and John standing next to the driveway
28:09pointing a gun to the back.
28:11I heard the gun.
28:13I heard Danny say, I'm shot.
28:17He dropped to his knees and started praying.
28:20And that's when I saw the hole coming out of his chest.
28:26I have nothing further to say.
28:28I have nothing further to say.
28:40Does Caitlin rely on you for financial support?
28:43Yeah.
28:44Okay. Roof over her head.
28:46Yes.
28:47So she relies on you for a lot.
28:49Absolutely.
28:51So the option for Caitlin was
28:53you can go talk to your father's attorney,
28:55possibly assist in his defense.
28:57If you do so, pack your shit up and get out of my house.
29:00Correct?
29:01Yes.
29:04I have no further questions. Thank you.
29:09For Mary, it looked really bad.
29:11I feel like I essentially got her to admit
29:13that if Caitlin were to come in here
29:15and tell the total truth about John,
29:17she's not going to have a roof over her head.
29:21I think Mary provided the context
29:23that we needed to say that's why Caitlin
29:25was acting that way on the stand.
29:34I listened to some jail calls
29:36that were made by John Morgan.
29:38He had called a female.
29:40I believe her name was Megan.
29:42He said, I don't think it matters.
29:44And then he paused and he said,
29:46it was kind of hard to hear at that point.
29:48He said, I think I was wrong.
29:50I didn't have to shoot the second time.
29:52When you've never been in trouble in your life
29:54and you're sitting behind bars,
29:56you start thinking to yourself,
29:58hmm, maybe I did something wrong.
30:00Anytime somebody says,
30:02I think I might be in the wrong,
30:04it's a bit concerning.
30:06Obviously, the jury could look at that
30:08as a quasi-confession.
30:22This morning, we're going to be
30:24starting our case.
30:26And Justin will be doing
30:28most of the direct examinations.
30:32These trials are difficult.
30:34And it's especially difficult
30:36when you have a video
30:38that shows what happened.
30:40That video needs to be contextualized.
30:44We want to convey to the jury
30:46who John is,
30:48who he is,
30:49and whether or not he's the type of person
30:51who can be convicted
30:53of these very, very heinous charges.
30:58Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.
31:00At this time, we will hear from the defense.
31:02You may call your first witness.
31:12Who would you say that you have
31:14a closer relationship with,
31:16Mary or John?
31:17John.
31:19Why is that?
31:21He's the one that makes the effort
31:23to be there anymore.
31:25With my children and me personally,
31:27my mother kind of drifted away.
31:29So it's been me and my dad.
31:32How would you describe John?
31:34To my impression,
31:36John is a very good guy.
31:38He's consistent in our lives.
31:40He helps us when we need him.
31:42He cares a lot about us.
31:44How would you describe his nature
31:45as a human being when you first met him?
31:47Gentle.
31:49Dorky.
31:51Sorry.
31:53But kind,
31:55compassionate, loving.
31:57Have you ever seen him behave aggressively
31:59towards other folks?
32:01No.
32:02Towards you?
32:03No.
32:05Did you ever witness John display
32:07any animosity towards Dan
32:09for being in a relationship
32:11with his estranged wife?
32:13No.
32:15No.
32:19William, Megan and Lisa
32:21were excellent witnesses for John.
32:24They gave context as to
32:26what kind of human being
32:28John Morgan actually is.
32:30I don't think there's any way
32:32that jury would ever believe
32:34that John's the type of person
32:36that could ever commit these crimes.
32:42I'm going to ask you to form an opinion
32:43whether or not you believe
32:45that John Morgan engaged
32:47in a reasonable use of force.
32:49Yes.
32:51We see John just take
32:53a tremendous pounding.
32:55I don't believe he could understand,
32:57comprehend what was going on
32:59and was in a total adrenaline rush
33:01and survival mode.
33:04Tim did a great job today.
33:06The whole reason we hired the guy
33:08is so we can go to the jury
33:10and say this is self-defense,
33:11this is what self-defense looks like.
33:13So hopefully the jury got the point.
33:24We're here for the final morning
33:26of John's trial.
33:28John will be taking the stand.
33:30I told him he's fighting
33:32for his life at this point.
33:34Anytime you put your client on the stand
33:36it's a huge risk.
33:38Typically it's not something
33:39you want to do.
33:41So there is a ton at stake this morning.
33:48Your Honor,
33:50the defense calls Mr. John Morgan.
34:04We're going to just slow this down
34:06a little bit, John,
34:07and play it just one more time.
34:12Okay, tell me what you see right here.
34:15At that point I felt a hefty blow
34:18to the back of my head.
34:20I seen, you know, flash, stars.
34:23It goes dark.
34:30And what happened right there?
34:34I shot the gun.
34:38Did you even remember
34:40what you were feeling
34:42in your head at that point?
34:44No, I just,
34:46I wanted the beating to stop.
34:48Were you in fear of your life?
34:50Yes, I was.
34:52Were you in fear of possibly
34:54being beat unconscious?
34:56Yes, I was.
34:58Thank you, John.
35:00No further questions.
35:02We've seen you pull a gun out,
35:04fire at the ground,
35:06point it at his head.
35:08He turns around
35:10and then you swing the gun at him.
35:12Has he done any kind of fighting?
35:18I perceived it as a threat.
35:20I thought he was, you know,
35:22I was just trying to defend myself.
35:24And when Danny's running away
35:26and comes back to you,
35:28were you in fear of your life?
35:30Were you in fear of your life at that time?
35:32I mean, like I said,
35:34it's still blurry,
35:36but I'm going to guess yes,
35:38I still was in fear of my life.
35:42He didn't fold under pressure.
35:44He was clear in his testimony.
35:46He did tend to get
35:48a little bit emotional,
35:50which I think is good.
35:52It shows the jury that he's a human being,
35:54not a robot,
35:56and that he really cares.
36:00The defendant, John Morgan,
36:02purposely caused the death of Daniel Peake.
36:04You remember watching the video.
36:06You have a front row seat
36:08to John Morgan murdering Danny Peake.
36:10And therefore,
36:12we'd ask that you find John Morgan guilty
36:14of all three counts
36:16as well as the specifications.
36:20I'm going to ask you
36:22to come forward
36:24and testify
36:26on behalf of the jury.
36:33This just happened so fast.
36:37Blink of an eye.
36:40When your head
36:42is seeing stars,
36:44you cannot make a knowing decision,
36:46nor can you make
36:48an intentional decision.
36:50I would submit to you
36:52it's just absolutely impossible
36:54after the way that he was beat.
36:55I would submit to you
36:57that he was in fear for his life.
36:59I would submit to you
37:01that he was in fear
37:03of serious physical harm.
37:05Please find John now guilty on all charges.
37:07He deserves it.
37:18The jury has a case.
37:20They're deliberating.
37:22It's excruciating
37:23until they render the verdict.
37:25I'm just in limbo.
37:28When you are waiting
37:30for a jury verdict,
37:32there is nothing in your entire body
37:34other than angst and worry.
37:36The trial went
37:38as well as we could have hoped for.
37:40So at the very least,
37:42John Morgan knows
37:44that we put up
37:46a hell of a fight for him.
37:5423 years I've been doing this,
37:56one thing I learned,
37:58you can never pick what a jury is going to do.
38:01I feel with whatever they come back and say,
38:03it's what it is.
38:24I'm definitely afraid.
38:26I don't want to go to prison.
38:28Whatever the rest of my life is,
38:30we're going to learn soon.
38:54This honorable court appointment, please,
38:56is now in session.
38:58Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
39:00it's my understanding
39:02you've reached a verdict in this matter.
39:04Is that correct?
39:06Yes, Your Honor.
39:08This honorable court appointment, please,
39:10is now in session.
39:12Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
39:14it's my understanding
39:16you've reached a verdict in this matter.
39:18Is that correct?
39:23Verdict from count one, murder.
39:25We, the jury,
39:27find the defendant John Eugene Morgan
39:29not guilty of murder
39:31in violation of Ohio Revised Code
39:332903.02 AD.
39:38Verdict from count one,
39:40voluntary manslaughter.
39:42We, the jury,
39:44find the defendant John Eugene Morgan
39:46guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
39:57Verdict from count two, murder.
39:59We, the jury,
40:01find the defendant John Eugene Morgan
40:03guilty of murder
40:05in count three, felonious assault.
40:07We, the jury,
40:09find the defendant John Eugene Morgan
40:11guilty of felonious assault.
40:14I will conclude the service of this matter.
40:16Defendant's bond is revoked.
40:35After acquitting
40:37on the count one murder charge
40:39which requires purposeful intent,
40:41the jury did convict him
40:43of the lesser included voluntary manslaughter
40:45as well as felony murder
40:47and felonious assault.
40:49So, almost a clean sweep for the prosecution.
40:55I truly believe John is such a great guy
40:57and I don't think he deserves
40:59to spend life in prison.
41:01At the end of the day,
41:02I think he ended somebody's life
41:04and that's obviously tragic
41:06but I don't think that he deserves
41:08to be labeled as a murderer.
41:11I don't think justice was served today.
41:15I feel awful for John.
41:17I mean, you know,
41:19I'm just,
41:21I'm really sorry that it went this way.
41:33So, the last couple of days
41:35have been extremely difficult.
41:37As the judge said,
41:39guilty, guilty, guilty.
41:41I completely lost it.
41:46I just kind of sat there
41:48with my hoodie in my mouth
41:51so I wouldn't have a total break
41:54and then I just left and cried.
41:57I don't know what to do.
41:59I don't know what to do.
42:00I just left and cried
42:02on my way home.
42:13We were told
42:15that it was an OD.
42:17There's a lot of questions.
42:20A lot.
42:22Like, if he was in police custody,
42:24how did this happen?
42:26Other sources have said
42:28that it was an actual heart attack
42:31It is extremely confusing.
42:37All I know is he's stable
42:39and I hope he
42:41remains stable
42:43and realizes that
42:45there's a lot of people on the outside
42:47who are fighting for him.