Dr. Noel Chua was found guilty today, Oct. 20, 2007, of felony murder and seven drug charges. After nearly 11 hours of deliberations, a five-woman, seven-man jury found Dr. Chua guilty of felony murder and seven of the 16 drug charges for violating Georgia's Controlled Substance Act. The judge sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The Jacksonville Times-Union has the complete coverage of the case. Its web site is http://www.jacksonville.com.

Prior the clerk of court reading the verdict, Judge Williams told the audience she would allow no outbursts or they would be arrested.

After the verdict was read, Williams asked each juror answered individually that his or her verdict was freely and voluntarily given. Each juror answered yes to the question.

Chua sat erect and displayed no emotion as the guilty verdicts were read, but supporters of the doctor in the audience slumped as the guilty verdicts were read.

Monday, October 15, 2007

For complete details, please visit http://chuatrial.blogspot.com/

Chua testimony begins

The first witness to testify in the case, Sgt. Shannon Brock, a St. Marys Police officer, said he was among the first investigators to arrive to Chua's home after receiving a report of a dead body.

Jurors craned their necks for a better view when Brock showed them a photograph of Carter's body taken after police arrived to Chua's home.

Other photos from the scene shown included open bottles of pills, a syringe, three vials of what Brock said investigators believe was human blood and a plastic bag containing drugs.

Also, other drugs, including professional samples for doctors, were found in the house by investigators, Brock said.

After the initial investigation, Chua wrote a voluntary witness statement explaining what had happened the day of the overdose death.

Chua told investigators Carter was taking methadone for medication "and nothing else," Brock testified.

During cross examination, Brock told Donald Samuel, Chua's attorney, prescription medications, doctor's samples and empty pill bottles were found in the house.

Samuel named prescriptions for Carter from other doctors that were also found at the scene. Brock testified he was not sure how drugs prescribed to Carter by different doctors got into the house.

The jury was excused for lunch at noon. The trial will resume at 1:00 p.m.

Posted by The Times-Union at 12:12 PM

Chua trial begins

Prior to the start of opening arguments for the trial of Noel Chua, Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams cautioned the audience not to make any "moan or groans" or any other reaction during testimony. Any inappropriate response will result in automatic ejection from the courtroom for the duration of the trial against Chua, who faces murder and drug charges.

After jurors entered the courtroom, she explained the process for considering evidence and deliberating for a verdict. She cautioned jurors not to discuss the case among themselves until instructed to begin deliberations.

"This case has some unusual parts to it," Williams said.

Chua, a St. Marys physician, is charged with the drug overdose death of Jamie Carter III, 20, who died in the doctor's home Dec. 15, 2005. Chua was charged with murder and 17 drug charges for prescribing
drugs to Carter for no apparent medical reason.

Jackie Johnson, assistant district attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, began opening arguments by explaining details of Carter's death.

The evidence will show all the drugs found in Carter's system were from drugs prescribed from Chua.

She explained how Carter's relationship with Chua changed from a doctor/patient relationship in September 2005 to a friendship where the two men lived together less than two months later.

"From that point forward, it ceased to be a doctor/patient relationship to something more," Johnson said. "Experts will tell you this is way out of bounds for a proper doctor/patient relationship."

Johnson acknowledged Carter had a history of headaches after being struck in the head by a baseball and other doctors had prescribed drugs to treat the problem. Chua, however, prescribed excessive numbers of drugs, compared to other doctors, she said.

Five days before his death, Johnson said Chua prescribed two prescriptions for methadone.

The combined effect of the drugs led to Carter's death, she told jurors.

When police arrived to Chua's house, he told investigators Carter was taking methadone "and nothing else."

Defense attorney Donald Samuel, however, disputed Johnson's claims.

"Each and every prescription is for a legitimate medical purpose," he said. "This is not a murder case."

Carter had been suffering from headaches for 15 years that made it impossible for him to go to school or other activities.

Chua reviewed Carter's medical history prior to prescribing drugs to his patient.

"One doctor after another was unable to diagnose the problem," Samuel said.

In 2003, Carter was suffering from headaches so severe his parents had to "literally carry him into the doctor's office."

Other physicians in the Waycross area prescribed pain killers to treat the problem multiple times to treat headaches. He was also hospitalized in Brunswick and Jacksonville to treat his headaches.

"That was two years before he went to see Dr. Chua," he said. "Not one of those doctors has been indicted for writing prescriptions to Jamie Carter."

Doctors in Brunswick noted Carter would probably need "massive doses of medication" to give him relief from headaches. But there was never any mention of the drugs other doctors had prescribed.

When Carter visited Chua for the first time in September 2005, he prescribed hydrocodone, "the exact same drug he has taken over and over again for years."

Chua tried prescribing other drugs because he hasn't gotten relief from other medications, none of which worked.

"Dr. Chua was trying to figure out what it is that it's going to take [for relief from headaches]," Samuel said. "Then he puts in him the hospital and gets indicted for the drugs he gave him in the hospital."

He claimed Chua tried to find "whatever would work."

Chua later prescribed methadone for pain relief, "not to feed anaddict."

"Most experts will tell you it's very effective for pain relief," he said. "It gives you no exhilaration, no high."

Carter had the exact amount of methadone in his system at the time of this death and wasn' t supposed to be taking other medications.

"He also had morphine and oxycodone in his blood," he said.

Because the two men lived together, Chua was constantly monitoring Carter's health and the level of medications prescribed.

The intent the entire time he was Chua's patient was to find relief for Carter's headaches, Samuel said.

"When you hear all the evidence in the case, I'm confident you will find a verdict of not guilty," he said.

Posted by The Times-Union at 10:47 AM 0 comments

Sunday, October 14, 2007
Jury selected; trial to begin at 9 a.m.

A seven-man, five-woman jury was selected Sunday afternoon for the murder trial of St. Marys physician Noel Chua.

The trial will begin at 9 a.m. today at the Glynn County courthouse. Jurors were sequestered minutes after they were picked Sunday will remain sequestered in Brunswick for duration of the trial the trial. Lawyers in the case said they will present all their evidence in five days.

As soon as the jury was picked, defense lawyer Donald Samuel objected saying prosecutors had struck most of the African-Americans in the pool and that the jury was not representative. Samuel said it appeared the strikes were based on race. Assistant District Attorney Jackie Johnson went down the list of all the jurors she and District Attorney Stephen Kelley had struck, black and white. Those struck had indicated they were close friends of Sheriff Bill Smith, had friends for relatives working at the Camden County Sheriff's Office or had had some family member prosecuted by the District Attorney's Office, Johnson said.

A potential jury's grandmother had been Smith's nanny, Johnson said.

"I think maybe the state didn't have enough strikes," Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams said in answering Samuel's objection. Williams found the prosecutor's strikes were "race neutral,'' and said, "I am absolutely satisfied with the strikes,'' she said. Chua himself is a close friend of Smith. The sheriff has said he believes Chua is innocent and has given Chua special treatment in the Camden County jail where he has been held since his September 2006, arrest.

Smith traveled to China with Chua in spring, 2006, to look for alternative treatments for Smith's son, Blake, who is paralyzed from an auto accident. The trial will include a number of experts on physician's practices and medical ethics.

Williams has ordered that Camden County deputies transport Chua to the Glynn County Detention Center daily in an inmate uniform. Only after he is in custody of Glynn deputies will he be allowed to change into the personal clothing for the trial. And he must change back to an inmate uniform before being returned to the custody of Camden officers, Williams ordered.

During the trial, Williams ordered that Chua be served the same meals as other Glynn County inmates "and no other."

-- Terry Dickson and Paul Pinkham

Posted by The Times-Union at 5:53 PM

Friday, October 12, 2007

A primer on the case

Last month we wrote a full primer on the case. Take a look at it at
http://www.jacksonville.com/tuonline/stories/091607/met_199959904.shtml

Posted by The Times-Union at 1:53 PM 0 comments

The case's timeline

Information in this case stretches back to Sept. 22, 2005, when Dr. Chua first met Jamie Carter. Take a look at the information below to get a step-by-step look at the case.

THE STATE OF GEORGIA VERSUS NOEL CHUA

Sept. 22, 2005: College student Jamie Carter, 19, strikes up friendship and patient relationship with St. Marys physician Noel Chua. Later, Carter starts working in Chua's office.

Oct. 31: Carter moves into Chua's Osprey Cove home.

November: Carter and Chua travel to New York together.

Dec. 15: Carter found dead of a prescription drug overdose inside Chua's home after the doctor calls 911. St. Marys police find numerous medications in the home and a hypodermic syringe on Carter's bed. Autopsy shows Carter had methadone and numerous painkillers, all prescribed by Chua, in his system.

Spring 2006: Chua travels to China with Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith to look into alternative spinal cord treatments for Smith's son, paralyzed in a car accident.

Sept. 13: Chua arrested after Camden County grand jury indicts him on charges of felony murder and 17 counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. Judge moves Chua to the Glynn County jail because of the doctor's friendship with Sheriff Smith. Chua's assets are seized as part of a civil racketeering action.

October: Yard signs and a newspaper advertisement supporting Chua appear in Camden County. Online and prayer meeting support begins. Chua is denied bail but returned to Camden County jail. Smith says he doesn't think Chua is guilty.

Nov. 7: Georgia's Composite State Board of Medical Examiners suspends Chua's license.

January 2007: Carter's family settles malpractice lawsuit with Chua.
Terms are confidential.

July 17: Smith attends rally of Chua supporters and says he supports their petition drive to get the doctor released on bail but can't lead it. A resolution asking for bail and bearing Smith's name is presented to county commissioners, who decline to get involved. Prosecutors cite Smith's support and special treatment of Chua as reason the doctor should be moved to another jail.

August: Prosecutors reach a compromise with Chua's lawyers resulting in Chua's trial being moved to Brunswick but allowing him to remain in the Camden County jail.

Oct. 9: Jury selection scheduled for Chua's murder trial.

Sources: Camden County court records, St. Marys police, Georgia's Composite State Board of Medical Examiners and Times-Union archives

# # #