Henderson Murder Trial: Closing arguments to begin Tuesday

Opelika, Al.
A jury is expected to begin deliberations Tuesday on whether a Georgia man is guilty of capital murder in the 2009 death of a Lee County sheriff’s deputy.

Gregory Lance Henderson, 39, of Columbus, Ga., is charged with capital murder for allegedly killing Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy James Anderson while fleeing from a traffic stop in Smiths Station on Sept. 24, 2009.

Henderson faces possible sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole or death if the jury finds him guilty of capital murder. The defense is asking Henderson be convicted of a lesser charge such as murder, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. The maximum sentences for the lesser charges range from 10 years to life in prison.

Henderson’s intent when he struck the deputy with his car has been the key question during the trial. The prosecution claims Henderson intentionally ran over the deputy, while the defense argues although Henderson caused Anderson’s death, it was an accident.

In opening statements, defense attorney Jeremy Armstrong said Henderson, impaired from the use of methamphetamine and other drugs hours before the traffic stop, did not intend to run over the deputy and wanted to help free Anderson from under the car afterward.

The defense rested after about an hour of testimony on Monday morning, calling two witnesses who testified about drugs found in Henderson’s system and a mental evaluation after his arrest.

A forensic psychologist who conducted a mental evaluation of Henderson in 2010 said while the defendant was addicted to marijuana and meth, he did not appear to be intoxicated when he struck Anderson.

Dr. Glen King said he also diagnosed Henderson with a personality disorder. King said symptoms of the personality disorder include continued problems with authority figures and the inability to follow social norms, among others.

While a formal intelligence evaluation was not performed, King testified he believes Henderson’s intellectual ability was borderline, noting his IQ level was about 85.

A toxicologist with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences said tests of Henderson’s blood for marijuana and meth came back positive. The toxicologist said the quantity of meth in Henderson’s system fell in the middle of the range found in motorists tested by the lab for drug use.

A nurse who drew blood samples from Henderson at the Russell County Jail said the defendant claimed he used marijuana and alcohol two days before the traffic stop. The nurse was the last witness for the state, which rested Friday after two days of testimony by Anderson’s partner, other officers on the scene and a medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on the deputy.

The state argued Henderson showed little regard for Anderson, noting the defendant continued to press the accelerator after the deputy was trapped underneath his car.

Lee County Investigator Katie Bonham, Anderson’s partner in 2009, testified Henderson ran over the deputy in a residential yard along Lee Road 240 in Smiths Station. Anderson was trapped under the vehicle and died from traumatic asphyxia, according to a former state medical examiner.

Bonham and others testified Henderson tried to accelerate as the car rested on top of Anderson. The Honda’s revving engine was heard in the audio from dashboard camera video from Bonham’s patrol car. Bonham said she fired twice before Henderson stopped.

Anderson was eventually freed with the help of a passing wrecker and taken by ambulance to Columbus Regional Medical Center in Columbus, Ga., where he was pronounced dead.