Kathy Pinna
Bryant indicted for ex-husband’s murder
Jerrie Bryant has been indicted for the murder of her ex-husband, just over a month after his body was found only yards behind the couple’s Baker Mountain Road home.
The Van Buren County grand jury returned indictments on charges of first-degree murder and filing a false report. Bryant remains held in lieu of bond and will appear for arraignment in Spencer before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley on Aug. 22.
Bryant is charged with shooting her husband of 27 years, Furlon Bryant, 58, two weeks after they became divorced. The victim’s body was found in a debris pile a few yards behind their home. Lawmen say Jerrie Bryant, 48, admitted killing her husband to several people, leading to her arrest a few weeks ago.
The lesser charge of filing a false report was a charge that originated before the murder for an incident which happened in May.
On that occasion, Furlon Bryant reportedly told lawmen his ex-wife was “on the warpath,” when they arrived to answer her claim of abuse by her husband.
“I heard Jerrie yelling at Furlon and saw him standing there through the window,” recalled Van Buren County deputy Barney Evans as he approached the house responding to a domestic call at their home May 15.
During the hearing on the misdemeanor matter, which could have significant impact in the murder case itself, deputy Evans said Mrs. Bryant claimed her husband had choked her, hit her and threw her through glass. However, Evans said he found no signs of such a violent struggle and decided to charge Mrs. Bryant for making up the story. Evans noted, on cross examination by defense attorney Joe Brandon, that he did see a mark on her wrist, but said it did not look fresh.
Brandon also suggested lawmen had been called to their home on more than one occasion due to alleged actions by Mr. Bryant. However, Evans countered it always ended up being a case of “he said, she said” when they arrived and there was never any evidence of domestic violence from what he saw.
Helping Evans on the domestic call was deputy Chris Russell, who was also actively involved one month later in the murder investigation. It was Russell who went to the scene when Mr. Bryant’s truck was found, parked outside an abandoned house just down the road from his home, a few days after he disappeared.
On that occasion, Russell said he found it odd that the windows had been left down during a pouring rain storm when Mr. Bryant was known to take good care of his truck. He also said it was odd the driver’s seat was pulled up close to the steering wheel given the fact Mr. Bryant was rather tall.
- Southern Standard, July 29 2005
The Van Buren County grand jury returned indictments on charges of first-degree murder and filing a false report. Bryant remains held in lieu of bond and will appear for arraignment in Spencer before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley on Aug. 22.
Bryant is charged with shooting her husband of 27 years, Furlon Bryant, 58, two weeks after they became divorced. The victim’s body was found in a debris pile a few yards behind their home. Lawmen say Jerrie Bryant, 48, admitted killing her husband to several people, leading to her arrest a few weeks ago.
The lesser charge of filing a false report was a charge that originated before the murder for an incident which happened in May.
On that occasion, Furlon Bryant reportedly told lawmen his ex-wife was “on the warpath,” when they arrived to answer her claim of abuse by her husband.
“I heard Jerrie yelling at Furlon and saw him standing there through the window,” recalled Van Buren County deputy Barney Evans as he approached the house responding to a domestic call at their home May 15.
During the hearing on the misdemeanor matter, which could have significant impact in the murder case itself, deputy Evans said Mrs. Bryant claimed her husband had choked her, hit her and threw her through glass. However, Evans said he found no signs of such a violent struggle and decided to charge Mrs. Bryant for making up the story. Evans noted, on cross examination by defense attorney Joe Brandon, that he did see a mark on her wrist, but said it did not look fresh.
Brandon also suggested lawmen had been called to their home on more than one occasion due to alleged actions by Mr. Bryant. However, Evans countered it always ended up being a case of “he said, she said” when they arrived and there was never any evidence of domestic violence from what he saw.
Helping Evans on the domestic call was deputy Chris Russell, who was also actively involved one month later in the murder investigation. It was Russell who went to the scene when Mr. Bryant’s truck was found, parked outside an abandoned house just down the road from his home, a few days after he disappeared.
On that occasion, Russell said he found it odd that the windows had been left down during a pouring rain storm when Mr. Bryant was known to take good care of his truck. He also said it was odd the driver’s seat was pulled up close to the steering wheel given the fact Mr. Bryant was rather tall.
- Southern Standard, July 29 2005
Daniel Pinna 
