Mistrial in Lowndes County Killing

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published November 1, 2024 at 4:38 PM EDT

A judge is declaring a mistrial in the killing of Lowndes County Sheriff "Big John" Williams.
The jury in the capital murder trial was unable to reach a verdict.

A new trial will be held in Macon County where the case was moved due to its proximity to the crime scene.

William Chase Johnson is charged in the shooting death of Sheriff Williams in 2019.

He pleaded not guilty due to mental disease or defect. The new trial date has not been announced.

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Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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