Trial underway in 2019 New Year’s Eve killing

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The trial of Charles Teeples IV, accused of fatally assaulting Savannah resident Bruce Helmly on New Year’s Eve 2019, opened Tuesday as jurors heard witness testimony and viewed body-camera footage taken immediately after the incident.

Tuesday’s proceedings focused on opening statements and witness accounts describing the events that preceded Helmly’s death. The prosecution says the altercation began at a private party at Basil’s Bar on Wilmington Island, where Teeples— then 19-yearsold— was drinking underage.

Prosecutors told jurors that witness testimony and video evidence link Teeples to a punch that left Helmly injured. One witness testified that Teeples warned others he was about to act, saying they “wouldn’t like what he was about to do,” before striking Helmly.

Jurors were shown body-camera footage from first responders in which Helmly appears with blood coming from his mouth.

Prosecutors say the injuries from the assault led to the medical treatment that followed.

“I paid my tab. We were going home, and as soon as I walked out the door, he came running up and just went—wham. And it busted my lip,” Helmly is heard saying in court testimony.

Helmly’s ex-wife, Terra Helmly, also testified and placed a 911 call reporting the assault the day after it occurred.

In the call she told the operator, “He was walking outside and some guy hit him in his jaw.” When asked if the attack was accidental, she replied: “No, no—on purpose.”

The defense acknowledged that Teeples punched Helmly and had been drinking, but they disputed that drugs were a factor. Defense attorneys argued that Helmly suffered from a number of underlying medical conditions, was taking multiple prescriptions and was a heavy drinker — factors they say contributed to his eventual death more than a year after the injury.

They also told jurors Helmly had fallen at the bar earlier the night of the party, which the defense says may have played a role in his later decline.

According to the defense, Helmly required surgery following the attack and did not die immediately; his death occurred more than a year after the incident, a timeline the defense points to in arguing the assault was not the sole cause.

Teeples did not take the witness stand Tuesday.

Neither prosecutors nor the defense explained what prompted the confrontation during opening statements, and motive remains unclear.

The trial is expected to continue with additional witness testimony and evidence presentation.