ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - The trial for a man accused of shooting a woman to death during an attempted carjacking began today. It’s a case WALB has followed for six years.

33-year-old Meesha Patel was shot and killed outside of Devi’s convenience store in 2018.

The suspect, Bernardo Thompson, was arrested in 2021 and is facing multiple charges, including murder.

For the first time in seven years since the shooting of Meesha Patel, jurors heard arguments from both the state and the defense. The state called multiple witnesses, with one saying he explicitly heard the suspect, Bernardo Thompson, sound agitated about the way the crime happened.

“The way I heard it was he was like I at least could’ve gotten 70, 75 bucks out of her or something like that. That’s how the statement went,” said Witness 1.

Because the witness was incarcerated when he told investigators his story, the Defense was quick to cast doubt on his motives.

“Why are you telling this officer you want out?” said the defense attorney.

“Because he was the one that made the deal,” said Witness 1.

“ You thought you were going to get a deal?” said the defense attorney.

“I told him when I called him, I wanted to make a deal with him. I told him that,” said Witness 1.

The prosecution called two other witnesses from law enforcement to Thompson’s old friend. This witness claims Thompson came to her house on the night of the murder wearing clothing that the suspect was seen wearing on surveillance video.

“He had on something like blue latex gloves, and I asked him what was going in and why was he here,” said Witness 2.

“Did he say anything to you in response to your question?” said the prosecutor.

“Not right off, but I told him it’s late at night and you either answer or you can leave,” said Witness 2.

This trial is still ongoing, and this witness isn’t done yet. She will be present for a second day of this trial to continue to give her testimony for the prosecution. At this time, the defense has not called any witnesses.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.