Lucas Miles Morgan found not guilty on two murder, two attempted murder charges
Lucas Miles Morgan was found not guilty Thursday on two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with a deadly 2012 gunfight outside a St. Helena Island nightclub.
The 12-person jury found Morgan not guilty of murdering his brother, Michael Douglas Morgan, and Dante Bailey. He was also found not guilty of the attempted murder of Richard Goodwine Jr. and Richard Green. All four St. Helena men were shot during a gun battle that broke out at the Midnight Soul Patrol on Toomer Road at about 1:30 a.m. on June 21, 2012.
The jury deadlocked on a fifth charge -- voluntary manslaughter in connection with Bailey's death. Circuit Judge Doyet Early declared a mistrial, and Morgan will be retried on that charge at a later date.
He remains at the Beaufort County Detention Center. He has been denied bond but can request a bond hearing Friday on the remaining charge.
The defense rested its case Thursday morning, and the verdicts were delivered about 6:30 p.m. after nearly seven hours of deliberation.
Dozens of family and friends were at the courthouse throughout the week to support Morgan.
His mother left before the verdicts were read. One relative who stayed and asked not to be identified said she felt "great joy" about the verdicts.
MUTUAL COMBAT
In her closing argument, 14th Circuit Assistant Solicitor Hunter Swanson said Lucas Morgan did not shoot his brother.
Joseph Bowers -- charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting -- did, she said. His trial is scheduled to begin next week.
Because the incident is considered mutual combat, in which all parties willingly engaged in the gunfight, everyone engaged is held responsible for the consequences, according to state law.
That means, Swanson said, that both Bowers and Lucas Morgan are guilty of murdering Michael Morgan and Bailey and attempting to murder Goodwine and Green.
"The community said they're going to handle this themselves," Swanson said in her closing argument. "That is unacceptable. That doesn't work in civilized society."
Swanson also asked the jury to consider the law and not the St. Helena Island community's perception of justice.
"The law is much less forgiving than Lucas Morgan's friends and family members," Swanson said. "This shouldn't have happened. This is completely senseless violence that needs to stop, and people have to be held accountable. Lucas Morgan needs to be held accountable."
In her closing argument, defense attorney Sharnaisha Naki Richardson-Bax asked the jury to consider not just the evidence presented, but the evidence that is missing.
There was no DNA evidence in the case, Bax said.
And while witnesses helped fill in the timeline of what happened that night, their differing and incomplete accounts still left many questions unanswered.
Witnesses and Beaufort County Sheriff's Office investigators testified that the conflict grew out of a rivalry between two groups on the island -- the Lands End and Dulamo Road communities.
Witnesses were subpoenaed, and most said they would not have testified if they had a choice. Goodwine, who testified Wednesday that Lucas Morgan shot him, said he didn't want to be in the courtroom.
Green, who is also Lucas Morgan's cousin, testified Tuesday that while he doesn't know who shot him that night, he knows it wasn't Lucas Morgan.
Follow reporter Laura Oberle at twitter.com/IPBG_Laura.
Related content
- Witnesses offer different perspectives on 2012 nightclub shooting on St. Helena, Sept. 17, 2014
- Witnesses testify in the trial of Lucas Miles Morgan, Sept. 16, 2014
- Jury selected in trial of murder suspect in St. Helena club shooting, Sept. 15, 2014
This story was originally published September 18, 2014 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Lucas Miles Morgan found not guilty on two murder, two attempted murder charges."