Defense of DeKalb CEO Ellis will present witnesses Tuesday
4:56 p.m. — Testimony concluded Monday without the prosecution resting its case against DeKalb CEO Burell Ellis.
Witnesses told jurors about phone records that were used as evidence of calls between Ellis and count vendors.
Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson told Ellis’ defense team to be prepared calling witnesses by lunchtime Tuesday.
“We’re making a lot of good progress and we’re in the home stretch,” Johnson told jurors.
3:07 p.m. — Judge Courtney Johnson allowed lawyers for DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis to question an AT&T manager about Ellis' phone records outside of court, further delaying his testimony and the defense portion of the trial.
At least one more prosecution witness remained, and then the defense will be able to call witnesses to testify on Ellis’ behalf.
At this rate, the defense won’t start presenting its case until Tuesday.
2:15 p.m. — Prosecutors neared the last of their witnesses Monday afternoon as their lead investigator concluded his testimony and an AT&T manager took the stand.
The AT&T manager was testifying about where DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis was when he made cellphone calls to discuss county business and campaign contributions.
Ellis’ defense team will begin calling their witnesses as soon as the prosecution concludes its case.
11:30 a.m. — An investigator in the trial of DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis connected the dots in court Monday between Ellis handwritten notes, county vendor lists and campaign contributions.
The investigator, Clay Nix, said he reviewed notebooks seized during searches of Ellis’ home and office. Those notebooks included Ellis’ notes about which county contractors he called and whether they had given him campaign contributions.
Ellis’ notes were displayed on projector screens in court.
Ellis is accused of shaking down contractors for political donations.
10:11 a.m. — Notebooks taken during police searches of the home and office of DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis include his handwritten lists of county contractors and donation amounts.
Clay Nix, an investigator for the DeKalb district attorney’s office, testified Monday about how Ellis’ notes matched secretly recorded conversations in which Ellis talked about seeking campaign contributions from county vendors.
Ellis is fighting charges that he intimidated vendors into giving him money for his 2012 re-election campaign
9:19 a.m. — Attorneys for DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis want U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson to testify in Ellis' corruption trial.
Prosecutors have filed a motion to exclude Johnson’s testimony, and the judge overseeing the case will consider whether to allow Johnson to take the stand before he’s scheduled to appear Tuesday.
It’s not clear what Johnson would testify about, and he hasn’t been involved in the case so far.
Johnson is a Democrat representing DeKalb County.
9 a.m. — Prosecutors were nearing the conclusion of their corruption case against DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis on Monday as testimony in his trial entered a third week.
Once the prosecution finishes presenting its case, Ellis’ attorneys will be able to call witnesses in his defense.
Ellis has pleaded not guilty to charges that he strong-armed county contractors into giving him campaign contributions.
The first witness of the day was expected to be Clay Nix, a former investigator for the DeKalb district attorney’s office.
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About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
