Jury selection began this week in Gwinnett County for the trial of Miles Bryant, a former police officer charged with the kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old Susana Morales. Morales was last seen in July 2022 leaving a friend's apartment complex in the Sterling Glen Apartments near Norcross; her remains were later found in a wooded area 20 miles away. Bryant, who was arrested in February of the previous year, lived in the same complex and was a courtesy officer there, in addition to his duties as a Doraville police officer, Atlanta News First reports.

According to WSB-TV, Bryant, 23, turned down a plea deal offered by prosecutors prior to jury selection, which involved admitting guilt in exchange for a lesser sentence, potentially with the possibility of parole; opting instead for a riskier path of a jury trial where the judge might issue a more severe punishment if convicted. The trial is expected to attract considerable attention given its nature and the fact that Bryant is additionally accused of attempting to rape the victim and falsely reporting his service weapon, eventually found near Morales' remains, as stolen.