GWINNETT COUNTY, Georgia – A Gwinnett Superior Court judge has not yet ruled on the motion for a new trial filed by former Doraville police officer Miles Bryant, who was sentenced to life without parole for the kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old Susana Morales.

Hearing on the Motion

The hearing took place on Thursday morning in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County.

The defense called a single witness: Bryant's former trial attorney, Tracy Drake. Ms. Drake outlined several issues raised in the amended motion, including:

  • Objections to the use of Life360 location data
  • Concerns about not receiving full discovery regarding a jailhouse informant's testimony
  • Several points she stated she did not object to for strategic reasons, or testimony she missed which she now believes should have been challenged

During cross-examination, the prosecutor questioned Ms. Drake's experience, her review of records, her awareness that the informant was on the witness list, and why she did not review the entire prosecutor's office file under their "open-file" policy.

After the witness left the stand, the prosecution requested to submit written arguments after receiving the hearing transcript. The defense did not object. The judge gave the prosecution 30 days from the date of the transcript submission to finalize their arguments and did not issue a decision immediately at the hearing.

Arguments for a New Trial

Bryant was convicted in June 2024 on charges of:

  • Malice murder
  • Felony murder
  • Kidnapping
  • False report of a crime (misdemeanor)

He received a sentence of life without parole plus an additional 12 months in prison.

The initial motion for a new trial was filed on June 13, 2024, and has been amended twice. In the second amendment, filed on November 26, 2025, attorney Richard Armand argued that Bryant received ineffective assistance of counsel.

The filing claims that trial counsel failed to object to a portion of the testimony from forensic examiner Carol Terry, who told the jury that she "strongly suspected strangulation or asphyxiation," but could not prove it due to the condition of the body.

The defense argues that this testimony violated Georgia's rules of evidence and caused the jury to rely on speculation in reaching a guilty verdict. The motion cites case law from Strickland v. Washington and Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, arguing that the trial outcome might have been different had the testimony been excluded.

Case Developments

The case originated on July 26, 2022, when Morales disappeared after visiting a friend at the Sterling Glen Apartments complex, where Bryant also lived. Initially, authorities considered her a runaway.

Six months later, Morales' body was discovered in Dacula, along Drowning Creek Road near Highway 316.

The court will issue a decision after receiving and fully reviewing the additional arguments from the prosecution.