Closing arguments wrapped up this afternoon in a Cedartown courtroom as the jury is set to be charged to deliberate on whether Jesse Castillo is guilty of murder.
The trial against Jesse Castillo is wrapping almost two years after he was accused of shooting Michael L. Griffith on February 27, 2021, and then fleeing the scene until he was later detained in Bartow County.
Castillo, now 42, was alleged to have shot Griffith in an incident on Clarkwook Road. Griffith was left in the ditch and later found by emergency personnel after being hit multiple times.
After fleeing the scene, Castillo abandoned his truck for another vehicle and hid out in Bartow County, until an anonymous tip gave police the information they needed to locate and take him into custody without anyone else getting hurt.
His trial began on Monday and is wrapping up this afternoon, with the jury expected to start deliberating this afternoon or tomorrow.
Along with a murder charge, Castillo also faces a aggravated assault charge for also threatening a witness at the scene of the shooting.
Judge Mark Murphy is presiding over the trial.
