He put Medlin in his patrol car, where he handcuffed her, and then drove her to a dead-end street. Medlin jumped out of the car and tried to run. Griffin ran after her and knocked her to the ground with his flashlight. He beat her, strangled her and stomped her. Despite the lack of physical evidence in this case, the jury deliberated only five hours.
Defense attorneys agree.
North Carolina does not keep statistics on the percentage of those tried for murder who are found guilty. But a 1998 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics says only 4 percent of those charged with murder are acquitted.