(Memphis) The former Memphis police officer charged with killing two people while driving twice the speed limit was in court Tuesday morning.
Former officer Alex Beard is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide after a crash on Crump.
Family and friends of Delores Epps and Makayla Ross arrived at court hoping for a plea deal, but that didn’t happen.
“I’m mad as hell right now,” Linda Walker said.
Walker walked out of the courtroom, outraged that a year has gone by, and still no decision on the fate of Alex Beard.
They were so fired up at one point a bailiff had to calm them down.
“Control all that noise or your all going into custody,” he said.
“How can you hush when this is going on with your family?” Walker said.
The chaos happened after a judge set another hearing date for September 10th.
“I am going to give both your attorney and the state’s attorney a final time to see if anyone agrees how this matter should be resolved,” Judge Bobby Carter told Beard.
Family and friends of Beard’s alleged victims are say they just want justice.
They worry Beard will get away with driving 90 miles an hour without emergency lights or sirens and crashing into Delores and Makayla’s car.
“The prosecutor and the lawyer are in cahoots,” Walker said.
Defense attorney Leslie Ballin says that’s not true.
“There’s nothing sinister going on here,” Ballin said. “We are friends outside the courtroom but once in court the gloves come off he hits me as hard as I hit him.”
Prosecutor Billy Bond agrees and hopes a deal can be reached. He said plea deals make the case more final because you can’t appeal a guilty plea.
“If there is some attempt to settle the case we will sit down with the family before we do anything,” Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Billy Bond said.
So for now, Michael Ross, who was also a victim in the crash, will have to wait two more weeks for answers.
If on September 10th they don’t have a deal reached, a trial date will be set.
