BALDWIN COUNTY, Ga. — The man accused of choking and killing a University of Georgia entomology professor is a free man.
A jury acquitted Marcus Lillard on all four counts relating to the death of Marianne Shockley.
The jury deliberated for nearly two hours Friday night after hearing four days worth of testimony.
Jurors found Lillard not guilty of felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and reckless conduct.
The prosecution argued Lillard unintentionally strangled Shockley to death while having sex in May 2019.
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy said Shockley died by manual strangulation. However, the defense argued there was no evidence that it was Lillard.
The only possible witness that night, Clark Heindel, committed suicide on the scene.
DA T. Wright Barksdale says Heindel not being able to testify was a "hurdle his office had to overcome," but Barksdale says that they do still believe they had enough evidence in the case, including the several women who testified saying Lillard choked them during sex.
"I felt like we put forth all the evidence that we had for the jury to consider. That's all that I can ask of my folks. We're going to continue to do what we've done for the past 16 months," Barksdale said.
Barksdale says Judge Burleson revoked Lillard's probation in full until 2030.