Jury Seated in Paulding Murder Retrial

A June jury never decided this case. She says her husband shot himself, and the medical examiner said the wound was not self-inflicted. The new jury has to hear that dispute from the evidence in the courtroom.

A jury was seated Tuesday in Paulding County for the retrial of Lacy Jolee Boles, 43, in the shooting death of her husband, Daniel Akers. Opening statements were set for Wednesday morning in superior court in Dallas, Georgia. She is charged with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. She has pleaded not guilty.

Akers, 36, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head at the couple's home on Braemill Court shortly after midnight on December 22, 2019. Boles called 911 and reported that he had shot himself. Deputies said her account did not match what they found in the house. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation's medical examiner later determined the wound was not self-inflicted and ruled the death a homicide. The autopsy report did not come back until May 2020, after COVID-19 delays.

Deputies arrested Boles on May 29, 2020. The sheriff's office said she was charged then with malice murder, aggravated assault, false statements, and tampering with evidence. She was released on a $100,000 bond. The counts set for this trial are malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. She says Akers took his own life. Brian Steel is her lawyer.

The first attempt at a trial stopped in June, during jury selection. A prospective juror asked ChatGPT about the case and shared what came back with other people waiting in the jury pool. Judge Dean C. Bucci held that juror in contempt, and the pool was released. A mistrial was declared. Selection started over Monday and finished Tuesday with 12 jurors and two alternates.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.