A judge this week denied a request for a new trial by a former cop convicted of killing a Georgia teen in 2022.
Miles Bryant’s attorney argued that he didn’t receive adequate representation at his trial, WXIA reported. Bryant also objected to use of Life360 data during the trial. The judge denied the motion after hearing oral arguments in February, WSB reported.
Bryant was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of Susana Morales. He was found guilty on charges of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping and misdemeanor false report of a crime.
Morales disappeared in July 2022, and her decomposing remains were found seven months later, as CrimeOnline reported. Bryant’s gun — which he reported missing the day after the girl disappeared — was found “in close proximity” to Morales’s remains.
On the final day of testimony at his July 2024 trial, Gwinnett Police Detective Angela Carter told the jury that cell phone data put Bryant at the spot where the teen’s body was found and that he conducted multiple searches related to her disappearance. Carter said he also searched for his license plate number on a website that tracks license plate recognition cameras.
Investigators also found that Bryant searched Google for information about how long a body takes to decompose.
Bryant was fired from his job as a Doraville Police officer after his arrest.
Bryant’s attorney is appealing the judge’s ruling denying him a new trial to the Georgia Supreme Court, WSB said.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Susana Morales and Miles Bryant/Gwinnett County Police Department]
