Two juries have now deliberated the fate of James Brunson. They have spent a total of 15 hours pouring over testimony related to sex acts against a 13 year-old.
Six months ago, 11 of 12 jury members said he was guilty, but not the required 12. It was a hung jury. Friday, 12 of 12 jurors said they felt Brunson was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of first-degree rape and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse after nearly seven hours of deliberation. The jury found Brunson not guilty of a second count of first-degree rape and not guilty of first-degree sodomy.
Brunson, 32, of Montgomery, sat emotionless as the jury foreperson read the verdict. He soon removed his gray suit coat just before bailiffs placed him in handcuffs. His fiancee was in tears in the gallery.
“I will appeal it,” Brunson said to her as he was escorted out of the courtroom. “We will work it out.”
The father of a 13 year-old girl discovered inappropriate texts on her phone in July 2023. It was reported to law enforcement and a forensic interview was soon scheduled with the victim.
In August 2023, investigators asked Brunson to come to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office to talk about allegations against him. Brunson acknowledged to law enforcement there were allegations. According to a video of the interview, he couldn’t recall many details about a February 2023 sleepover. Investigators finally confronted Brunson asking why the victim was making these allegations and why these texts were on the phone.
Brunson was arrested in August 2023. He was charged with first-degree rape.
The second forsenic interview brought about more charges — another first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
“We thought of them as family,” the juvenile victim said. “Everybody felt we could trust him.”
The victim said other sexual encounters occurred at her relative’s home in Millbrook, primarily in the bedroom.
“I thought that was his way to show love,” the victim testified.
Brunson consistently denied any wrongdoing. The other adult witnesses provided no information about what may or may not have happened in Millbrook.
It took a jury of six women and six men nearly seven hours to reach a guilty verdict on three of five counts Brunson was on trial for.
Brunson will be sentenced by 19th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Patrick Pinkston next month.
Brunson faces 10 to 99 years in prison for the first-degree rape and two to 20 years for each of the second-degree sexual abuse charges.
