After less than two hours of deliberation, a jury decided last Tues?day that a former McPher?son College football player was not guilty of second-degree murder in the beating death of Tabor College student Brandon Brown last fall.
A McPherson County jury of seven men and five women began deliberating shortly before noon in the seven-day of trial for 20-year-old Dallas native Alton Franklin.
Prosecutors alleged Franklin attacked Brown during party at a McPherson residence in Septem?ber, and that co-defendant and fellow McPherson College football player DeQuinte Flournoy held Brown down.
By Tuesday afternoon, Frank?lin was being discharged from the McPherson County Jail and released from a $250,000 bond.
Two witnesses testified they saw Franklin hit Brown. But the defense said there was no evidence that Franklin had struck anyone.
Flournoy pleaded no contest earlier to aggravated battery.
?Our hearts are heavy and broken and our prayers go out to Brandon?s family, friends and teammates as we continue to mourn the loss of our loved one,? Tabor College President Jules Glanzer said in a memo to college faculty and supporters.
