Trial for December 2017 murder begins with jury selection

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Monday was jury selection for the trial of a Savannah woman charged with murder.

Savannah Police say Deborah Garner, who was 50-years-old at the time, shot and killed 38-year-old Eric Jenkins in December of 2017.

Police have released few details in the years since her 2018 arrest.

Police say it happened just three blocks away from Forsyth Park near the intersection of Montgomery Street and West Park Ave.

Garner, who is now 56, faces five counts including felony and malice murder after police say she shot Jenkins in December 2017.

During questioning, state prosecutors asked potential jurors about their history with firearms and whether they knew someone who had been a victim of a violent crime.

The defense asked jurors if they knew anyone who had served in the military.

Garner was taken into custody in February 2018 by Fort Knox Military Police in Kentucky after police identified her as the shooter.

Court records show in May that same year she was released on a $90,000 bond under terms that she abide by a curfew and report to law enforcement weekly.

State prosecutors also asked jurors if they knew anyone affiliated with The Jinx, a former bar on Congress Street, saying some of the evidence included in the trial may include events that took place at the bar.

Prosecutors also asked jurors about whether they drink alcohol.

Before jury selection started, Garner’s lawyer urged the judge to allow a GBI toxicologist to testify.

He said that will help show this is a self-defense case.

Now that a jury has been selected, the trial is expected to last the rest of the week.

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