ATLANTA _ Jurors in the Robert "Chip" Olsen murder trial reached split verdicts for the former DeKalb County police officer.
They found him not guilty on two felony murder counts, sparing him a sentence of life in prison. But jurors reached guilty verdicts on four lesser charges: two counts of violation of oath of office, aggravated assault and making a false statement. Olsen shot and killed Anthony Hill, naked and unarmed at the time, outside a Chamblee apartment complex in 2015
As the forewoman read the verdict, Chip Olsen began to sob. His wife, Kathy Olsen, was inconsolable, yelling, "No! No! No!" She was then escorted from the courtroom by a deputy but could be heard wailing outside in the hallway.
Emotions also got the better of two jurors, who cried as their verdicts were announced. Jurors deliberated for about 27 hours over six agonizing days.
Sentencing will occur Nov. 1, over the state's objection. Olsen could receive up to 35 years in prison if the maximum sentence is applied on all counts.
The state argued Olsen should not be released on bond. Lead prosecutor Pete Johnson said Olsen should be treated like any other citizen responsible for the death of another.
"He's now a convicted felon," Johnson said. 'This jury has found he was responsible for the death ... and he lied to cover it up.
Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson ruled in favor of Olsen, who was released on $80,000 bond, affixed with an ankle monitor and placed on a 7 p.m. curfew.
"You should put handcuffs on this convicted felon and take him into custody because that's where he belongs," Johnson said.
"You want me to put handcuffs on him?" Dear Jackson replied.
Defense attorney Don Samuel called Johnson's comments "offensive," telling the judge he hoped she would not be swayed by "rhetoric of the assistant D.A. who's trying to please the public."
The judge defended her decision, addressing Hill's family.
"I'm not saying that Anthony Hill's death was in vain," Dear Jackson said. "I'm not saying it did not occur."
But, she noted, Olsen was found not guilty of murder. If he had been found guilty, Dear Jackson said, "we'd probably not be having this conversation."
Hill was honorably discharged from the Air Force after serving in Afghanistan, and diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hill, 26, had stripped naked outside his metro Atlanta apartment on March 9, 2015, a byproduct of his decision to stop taking medication for his mental illness. Olsen was the first officer to respond. He claimed he acted in self-defense when Hill, unarmed, ran toward him, ignoring his commands to stop.
Prior to opening statements, Johnson disclosed that Olsen had turned down a plea offer from the state that included a 20-year prison sentence, with 15 to serve.
