DOTHAN | RICKEY STOKES NEWS
A mistrial was declared Thursday morning in the murder trial of Jessie Jerome Swain, one of three men accused in the 2007 killing of Dothan businessman Perry Griffin.
The mistrial followed testimony Wednesday from a police investigator who mentioned a suspect not formally charged in the case. Defense attorney Arthur Medley argued the statement prevented Swain from receiving a fair trial.
John Steensland, a Houston County Circuit Judge, agreed and granted the mistrial. A retrial has been scheduled for March, canceling the remainder of the two-day trial planned for this week.
Griffin was killed in 2007, but the case later went cold. In 2020, investigators announced arrests after developing new evidence, charging Swain along with Kevin Thornton. Kedrick Fitzgerald Bryant has been named as a suspect but has not been formally charged.
Thornton pleaded guilty on December 17 to a reduced misdemeanor charge of criminally negligent homicide as part of a plea agreement that included testifying against his alleged co-defendants. He was expected to testify this week before the mistrial was declared.
Authorities say Bryant is currently serving a lengthy sentence in an Alabama prison and will be charged upon his release.
Investigators say Griffin was preparing to leave Panhandle Converter in the early morning hours to purchase supplies and was carrying a large amount of cash, as he routinely did. Evidence indicated the suspects may have planned to restrain Griffin and move him to another location.
Authorities believe Griffin resisted, leading to a struggle during which a gun was fired, killing him. Approximately $35,000 was reported stolen. Two of the suspects arrested were employees of the now-defunct Dothan business.
