Jury to decide if stabbing was murder or self-defense

Whether Priscilla Morgan was defending herself from an abusive boyfriend when she fatally stabbed Anthony Morgan or exacting vengeance for his hitting her in the mouth is now a question for jurors to decide in the Columbus murder trial.

The jury started deliberating about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday after closing arguments in the week-long trial, but soon stopped to once more watch a video recording of Morgan’s interview with police after the homicide on May 18, 2014. Jurors are to resume this morning at 9.

Assistant District Attorney Wesley Lambertus told them they should have no doubt who stabbed Murray, as the defense is not claiming Morgan didn’t do it. “The question for you is, was it justified or was it unlawful?” he said.

The prosecutor maintained Morgan was outraged that Murray busted her lip during an argument, and she intended to make him pay, as evidenced by her calling her brother before the confrontation and telling him he’d better come to her 2541 Rice St. home and “handle this before I do.”

Morgan claimed Murray grabbed a kitchen knife during their dispute, so she got another knife with which to defend herself, and her blade punctured his chest as he charged at her. But the evidence didn’t support her story, Lambertus said: “You don’t aim for the chest unless you intend to kill.”

She stabbed him with enough force to crack a rib and puncture his lung, aorta and pulmonary artery, so he bled to death in minutes, the prosecutor said. Though she told police she was on the far side of the kitchen when he charged at her, he was found lying across the room on his back, Lambertus said.

Also incriminating was the absence of the knives she claimed they had, and her initial story that Murray called to tell her he “got into it” with some other men, came home and collapsed, the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Stacey Jackson cast Morgan as the intended victim facing an enraged, knife-wielding boyfriend who had abused her before.

He recounted witnesses’ testimony that Murray erupted in a jealous rage when another woman at a neighborhood party he and Morgan earlier had attended hand-fed Morgan a hotdog. A mutual friend testified that Murray had become increasingly jealous after learning Morgan once had sex with two other women.

He and Morgan with a second couple were playing the card game spades at the party when a woman came dancing in and hand-fed Morgan a bite of her hotdog. Offended, he told the woman not to do it again. When she did it again, he rose from his seat and put her in a headlock.

Other guests separated the two, and Murray appeared to regain his composure, witnesses said. He got Morgan’s three daughters from a back room at the Walker Street party and took them home, then went back to get Morgan so they could walk home together.

Morgan’s daughters testified their mother’s lip was bleeding and she was cursing Murray when they arrived back at Rice Street. After calling her brother, Morgan told the girls to walk back to the party on Walker Street, and the daughters left before the stabbing.

Jackson argued Murray’s rage was growing as the evening wore on: “Think about the buildup of anger,” he said, suggesting Murray likely was drunk and “hitting the bag,” meaning snorting cocaine.

He noted that Morgan, who has arthritis, is right-handed, but had the knife in her left hand when she stabbed Murray, who was both taller and stronger than she was. “There was no malice, no intention to kill. There’s no evidence of that,” he said.

Morgan sent the girls back to the party because she was fearful of what Murray would do, as he was still angry about the hotdog incident, Jackson said: “He’s so upset he still won’t let it go.”

He said that under Georgia’s so-called “stand your ground” law, Morgan was justified in defending herself when she was assaulted, and under no obligation to back down. “You have no duty to retreat,” Jackson said.

Lambertus countered that no evidence showed Murray, whom some knew by the nickname “Ant,” was still upset about the hotdog affair. “Ant was not amped up…. In fact the opposite was true: She was the one who was amped up,” the prosecutor said.

He recounted testimony that Morgan twice in the past had been accused of assaulting boyfriends, having allegedly beaten one with a tire iron or crowbar in 2002 and hit another with a vase in 2004.

Jackson reminded jurors the 2002 case against Morgan later was dismissed, and the man she was accused of assaulting in 2004 also faced charges for beating her when she was pregnant.

Morgan, also known as Priscilla Harris, faces charges of malice or intentional murder, felony murder for allegedly killing Murray while committing the felony of aggravated assault, aggravated assault and using a knife to commit a crime. Judge Art Smith III has ruled jurors will not have the option of reducing the murder charges to manslaughter.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Jury to decide if stabbing was murder or self-defense."