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Honestly Local
Jury enters deliberations
Man accused of vehicular homicide in crash that killed teen
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
The jury entered deliberations
after 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, in the
second jury trial for Shannon Beau-
ford, a Gainesville man accused of
vehicular homicide in a 2020 wreck.
Beauford, 28, was indicted in the
Oct. 4, 2020, wreck on White Sulphur
Road that killed Madison Gray, 17, of
Gainesville.
Beauford was previously tried
before Superior Court Judge Jason
Deal, but Deal declared a mistrial
after the jury deadlocked.
After Beauford chose not to testify,
the jury heard closing arguments
Thursday afternoon.
Defense attorney Janet Smith-Tay-
lor, who represented Beauford along
with attorney Karen Pass, said the
case “shows you what happens when
you judge a book by its cover. ”
She referenced how deputies at the
scene were heard on body camera
footage saying that Beauford had pre
vious run-ins with law enforcement.
“All they were trying to do was
come up with something that would
fit their prejudgment,” Smith-Taylor
said.
The defense focused their questions
and argument on the prosecution
proving beyond a reasonable doubt
that Beauford was the one driving.
Smith-Taylor mentioned how one
of the last people to see Madison alive
saw the 17-year-old behind the wheel.
The defense has put forth the the
ory that Madison was driving.
Madison was found in the back seat
of the vehicle.
Assistant District Attorney Shiv
Sachdeva reminded the jury of testi
mony from one of the witnesses, who
■ Please see TRIAL, 3A
in fatal wreck
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
Shannon Beauford sits in Hall County Superior Court Thursday,
Feb. 23, during his vehicular homicide trial.
‘A great tribute and honor’
HALL COUNTY,
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
American Legion Post 7 Chaplain Minister Devin Pandy speaks Thursday, Feb. 23, at Butler Park in Gainesville during an unveiling
ceremony for the Eugene Brown Veteran Memorial at the park.
Memorial for Black American veterans unveiled at Butler Park
BY BRIAN WELLMEIER
bwellmeier@gainesvilletimes.com
The Eugene Brown Veterans Memo
rial honoring Black Americans native
to Hall County who were killed in World
War II and the Korean War was unveiled
to the public at Butler Park Thursday.
Engraved on the memorial is a list of
names — those who gave their lives in
the line of duty, during a chapter of U.S.
history when they weren’t granted full
equality under the law.
American Legion Post 7 Chaplain
Minister Devin Pandy was the first to
speak to a crowd of more than two dozen
gathered to recognize the historic signifi
cance of the monument, which Pandy
described in detail.
“For generations, segregation kept
White and Black Gainesville separate
and unequal in life and in death, but
today, Gainesvillians are seeing to it that
our past is not only not repeated — but
also not forgotten,” Pandy said. “Now,
maybe, one of these days, we will no
longer have the need to recognize Afri
can Americans as the first Black Ameri
can to accomplish something. Maybe,
from here on out, we will all be seen as,
referred to and equality acknowledged,
simply, as Americans.”
“Maybe, one day, we won’t have to
have a ‘Black side of town,’ like Gaines
ville southside,” he said. "... Perhaps,
one day, we will stop honoring those that
fought against this country to maintain
slavery, and begin honoring those who
gave their lives for this country, so that
every one of us could live free, even if
they themselves did not.”
The memorial is named for Eugene
Brown, the first Black American killed in
World War II, according to Past Post 521
Commander Johnny Varner.
“This is in line with Black History
■ Please see MEMORIAL, 3A
Ex-FBI agent
recalls real
Cocaine Bear
BY BEN ANDERSON
banderson@gainesvilletimes.com
The real story of the “Cocaine Bear” isn’t quite
stranger than fiction, but the former Georgia
Bureau of Investigation agents who worked the
case in the 1980s will tell you it’s far more fasci
nating than the sensational horror-comedy film
that will hit screens Friday.
“Cocaine Bear,” directed by Elizabeth Banks
and starring Ray Liotta in one of his last films
before his death in May, is about a 500-pound
bear named Cokie that ingests a “staggering
amount of cocaine” and goes on a “coke-fueled
rampage for more blow... and blood,” according
to a synopsis of the film.
In reality, the bear (a female) weighed 175
pounds, ingested a relatively modest amount of
■ Please see BEAR, 3A
Woman hurt, suspect
fatally wounds self
in Buford shooting
A Winder man shot a woman Wednesday,
Feb. 22, with whom he had a relationship before
fatally shooting himself at a Buford warehouse,
according to authorities.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators said
Steven Expose, 32, and the woman were leav
ing work around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 900
block of Sherwin Parkway.
The Sheriff’s Office said Expose and the
woman worked together.
After getting into Expose’s vehicle, the two
started to argue. When the woman tried to leave
the car, Expose shot her. He then returned to the
vehicle and shot himself, according to the Sher
iff’s Office.
The woman, who was not immediately iden
tified by law enforcement, was grazed in her
stomach, and Expose was pronounced dead at
the scene. Deputies were called to the area after
receiving reports that an injured woman was
running into a warehouse in the industrial park.
The case is still under investigation.
Nick Watson
ONLINE
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