The capital murder trial of the man accused of killing Sheffield Police Sgt. Nick Risner is nearing its final stages in Colbert County, nearly five years after the officer was fatally shot during a police pursuit.

The defense for Brian Lansing Martin rested Wednesday morning, according to WAFF, after Martin took the stand in his own defense and jurors heard testimony surrounding his mental health.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Martin in the Oct. 1, 2021, shooting of Risner.

Martin told jurors he believed he had been followed for months and feared people were going to take him and harm him. He testified that during the events of Oct. 1, he saw a motorcycle approach his vehicle and someone begin shooting.

Martin said he “freaked out” and does not remember the remainder of the chase until he was being pulled from his truck. He also testified that he never saw police lights during the pursuit, according to the news outlet.

Prosecutors have challenged Martin’s version of events throughout the trial.

Jurors have seen video from the day of the shooting showing Risner approaching Martin in his truck before Risner struck Martin’s truck in an effort to stop him. Multiple witnesses also testified that they saw Martin shooting at Risner.

Police were pursuing Martin in connection with another killing earlier that day.

Authorities say Martin shot his former roommate, William Mealback Jr., whose body was found on Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, before leading officers on a chase into Sheffield. Martin faces a separate case in Mealback’s death.

Dashcam video showed Martin firing five shots toward Risner’s vehicle. Risner, 40, was a K-9 handler who had served nine years with the Sheffield Police Department. He died the following morning at Huntsville Hospital.

Colbert County District Attorney Hal Hughston III made the state’s position clear as the trial opened.

“Brian Martin is a cop killer. It’s that simple,” Hughston told jurors.

Martin’s defense has centered on his mental health at the time of the shooting. He testified that the Gangster Disciples had “domestically terrorized” him and that he blacked out when officers fired.

The case also carries a history that reached beyond the Shoals and eventually led Alabama lawmakers to change state law.

Martin had killed before.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2011 death of his father and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 2016 after serving just over three years.

Then-Colbert County District Attorney Bryce Graham Jr. called Martin’s early release “one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

After Risner’s death, lawmakers moved to prevent certain inmates convicted of causing another person’s death with a deadly weapon from receiving correctional incentive time, commonly known as “good time.”

Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Sergeant Nick Risner Act into law in April 2022.

“Sergeant Risner’s killer should have never been released from prison in the first place,” Ivey said at the time.

The legislation, HB143, was sponsored by State Rep. Phillip Pettus (R-Killen).

“If you kill somebody, you do not get the good time,” Pettus said.

The measure received overwhelming support in the Legislature. It initially passed the House 99-1, with former State Rep. Charlotte Meadows (R-Montgomery) casting the lone dissenting vote. The Senate later approved the measure 28-0. The House concurred with Senate changes 98-0, although legislative records note that State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) intended to vote “nay.”

The law made inmates convicted of crimes that caused another person’s death by means of a deadly weapon ineligible for correctional incentive time.

With the defense now resting, Martin’s trial is moving toward its conclusion.

If jurors convict Martin of capital murder, the case would move into a penalty phase. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and the same jury would hear evidence before deciding whether Martin should be sentenced to death.

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].