UPDATE: Jury returns guilty verdict in SkyZoo Bar murder retrial 2021 | Local News

UPDATE: A Hamilton County jury has found Kristijan Mrkonjic guilty of first-degree intentional murder in connection with the fatal shooting at the former SkyZoo bar in 2021.

The jury deliberated most of Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday afternoon, they returned the following verdict:

• Guilty of first degree premeditated murder
• Guilty of attempted premeditated murder
• Guilty of using a firearm in a dangerous attempt
• Guilty of evading arrest while operating a motor vehicle

PREVIOUS STORY: Jury deliberations are underway in the retrial of the man previously convicted of the fatal 2021 shooting at the former SkyZoo bar.

In this retrial, 15 witnesses testified over five days. Closing arguments lasted all morning and into the early afternoon.

Kristijan Mrkonjic was found Last July, he was found guilty of killing 32-year-old Eric Grant outside the SkyZoo bar on Lee Highway in 2021.

“The things the defendant did to carry out his plan, his premeditation to kill Eric Grant. He had to arm himself, right? He had to wait 10 minutes. Then he confronted them and cut them off in the parking lot. Then he said, 'You're going to die. You're going to die.' And what does the person he said that to do? He dies,” said Paul Moyle, chief homicide prosecutor for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

Defense attorney Walter “Rip” Biggs is trying to prove to the jury that Mrkonjic acted in self-defense.

“That wasn't real when the group of people beat you up. Aggravated assault. Do you think you'd be seriously hurt if someone kicked you in the head or kicked you in the vital organs? Nobody has to pull a gun for that, but I think they had one. They all had one. Mr. Rice said he had a gun. He lied to you and said, oh, it was stolen. I'll play the video for you again if you want to see it,” Biggs said.

Kevin Loper, assistant district attorney for the 11th Judicial District, disputed that argument in his rebuttal.

“Everything matches up to the time on all the officers' cameras and in the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch). They were there within two minutes and nobody had a weapon. They're trying to confuse you. Don't believe it,” Loper said.

The jury will take a break and will continue its deliberations on Thursday, August 15, at 9:15 a.m.

PREVIOUS STORY: The retrial against Kristijan Mrkonjic continued on Monday morning.

Mrkonjic was convicted of the fatal 2021 shooting at the former Sky Zoo Bar.

PREVIOUS STORY: The fourth day of the retrial of the man previously convicted of a fatal 2021 shooting at a Lee Highway bar was adjourned over the weekend.

Eleven witnesses have testified in the retrial of Kristijan Mrkonjic. The defense will begin presenting its witnesses on Monday.

The fourth day of the trial began with the testimony of Charles Meyners, deputy of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, who started a chase in a vehicle registered to the defendant.

Mrkonjic appeared in court on Thursday, January 11, to discuss the conditions for opening a new trial.

A tenth witness, TBI Special Agent Ladd Kuykendall, a firearms and ballistics expert, testified that he fired the weapon used the night of the shooting and said it functioned properly.

Hamilton County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Steven Cogswell says Grant likely would have survived seven of the shots, but the bullet in his thigh that hit his artery was potentially a fatal wound. He most likely would have needed medical attention very quickly.

“The problem is that by the time they did the surgery, he was already in such severe shock that he was dying from it, even though they were basically pumping blood into him to maintain enough blood volume. So the surgery was successful in that it was repairable. By the time they could get that under control, he was already too far gone,” Dr. Cogswell said.

Two Chattanooga Police Department crime scene investigators testified Thursday about evidence found at the crime scene.

Another witness who was there the night Eric Grant was killed testified that he hid behind a car when he heard gunshots.

A friend of Grant, Franklin Rice, said he ran to Grant's side and stayed with him until he was taken away in an ambulance.

“I talked to him and tried to be there for him and tell him to fight. I told him to fight for his children,” Rice said.

While watching the bodycam video, Rice became emotional.

Rice testified that he did not have a gun on him and that it was stolen, but on body camera video he can be heard mentioning that he wished he had gotten his gun out of the car.

Rice says he was desperate at that moment and may have made a mistake because of the situation.

Local News Reporter 3 Gracyn Gordon will be in the courtroom throughout the trial and will keep you informed of the latest developments.

PREVIOUS STORY: Bodycam and surveillance videos were shown in the courtroom, as well as testimony from two Chattanooga Police Department officers who arrived at the scene.

“I was trying to get the situation under control. Of course, you can see people around us on video. I was trying to make sure my officers were safe and I was providing first aid. I was also trying to relay information through radio traffic. When there are multiple units nearby, I could dispatch immediately and make sure everyone knew exactly where to go. So it was pretty chaotic,” said Sergeant Jason Holmes, a Chattanooga Police investigator.

Officer Calvin Cooper helped Eric Grant in the parking lot. His body camera video shows Grant slipping in and out of consciousness. You can also hear people yelling for him to hold on and asking emergency responders if he was breathing. Grant's family was moved to watch.

Surviving shooting victim Marking Vaughn took the stand as the fourth witness. Vaughn is considered dishonest in the eyes of the law because he had been convicted of theft in the past decade. The defense was unaware of this during the last trial. The courtroom heard from Vaughn what he said he experienced that night while watching surveillance video from the club when the shots were fired.

“It was horrible. I was trying to survive. I was having trouble breathing, I had a collapsed lung. Two bullets had hit my left lung. I was wondering why I was having such a hard time breathing. At the same time, I was worried about Eric… wondering if he was going to make it. So it was horrible,” Vaughn said.

PREVIOUS STORY: The retrial of a man convicted of a fatal shooting at a Lee Highway bar in 2021 has entered its second day.

Kristijan Mrkonjic was found guilty in 2021 of killing Eric Grant in a bar then called SkyZoo.

Surviving gunshot victim Marking Vaughn took the stand as the fourth witness. Vaughn is considered dishonest in the eyes of the law because he was convicted of theft in the last ten years. The defense was unaware of this at the last trial.

After jury selection was completed, prosecutor Kevin Loper and defense attorney Walter Biggs made their opening statements.

“You are going to die tonight. That's what this man here said to Marking Vaughn. That's what this man here said to Eric Grant before he shot him thirteen times,” said Kevin Loper, assistant district attorney for the 11th Judicial District.

“He was defending himself legally in self-defense. That's not a crime. But from the story you've heard, we differ from the state in that we deny anything Marking Vaughn will say,” Biggs said.

Jean Bartley, director of the Hamilton County Emergency Communications Division, was the first witness to take the stand Tuesday. The courtroom heard three 911 calls about the incident, all coming in within minutes of each other.

Next up was Chattanooga Police Sergeant Jason Holmes to review body camera video of his arrival at the scene.

Due to technical problems, the trial was adjourned early on Tuesday, but resumed on Wednesday. Sergeant Holmes took the stand and continued to watch the footage from his bodycam.

Sergeant Holmes described the scene as “chaotic” as the court finished playing the video.

Local News Reporter 3 Gracyn Gordon will be in the courtroom throughout the trial and will keep you informed of the latest developments.

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