A Wilkinson County jury returned a not guilty verdict late Wednesday after 30 minutes of deliberation and a morning of witnesses including the defendant herself.

“They said a lot of things yesterday that wasn’t true,” Connie Hollins testified in reference to allegations made by members of the Goodrich family on Tuesday.

Hollins was on trial for voter fraud in connection with the August 2007 Democratic primary.

Tuesday the prosecution called several witnesses who testified that Hollins had illegally tampered with absentee ballots belonging to the Goodrich family.

Wednesday defense lawyers Cheokwe Lumumba and son, Cheokwe Antar Lumumba, led over four hours of examination about the happenings and circumstances surrounding absentee ballots belonging to Latashia Goodrich, Roy Goodrich and Latonia Goodrich Jackson.

Hollins’ defense said Hollins did not call the Wilkinson County Clerk’s office to have three absentee ballots sent to Mary Goodrich’s address, as was alleged Tuesday.

According to Hollins, Mary Goodrich asked her to deliver the ballots to Latashia Goodrich, Roy Goodrich and Latonia Goodrich Jackson since she was already traveling to Jackson on Aug. 1, 2007.

“I didn’t feel that anything was inappropriate because everybody has the right to vote absentee,” Hollins said.

“The Goodrichs didn’t even complain (about my help.) That’s why it’s been so shocking, what has happened,” Hollins said.

Hollins said she volunteers around the City of Woodville in her spare time and volunteers as the business manager at Rollins Funeral Home.

Hollins said she got to know Mary Goodrich after the death of Hollins’ husband in early 2007, and the two maintained a friendship after Hollins coordinated the funeral for the family.

Hollins said under oath that she received three absentee ballots and a wedding veil that she delivered to Latashia Goodrich, Roy Goodrich and Latonia Goodrich Jackson on Aug. 1 at a Texaco station near Byram.

Hollins swore under oath Roy Goodrich was present to fill out and sign his ballot and paperwork with his twin sisters. Testimony from Tuesday alleged that Roy Goodrich was not present.

Hollins testified that she delivered Mary Goodrich’s package to Goodrich’s children and sat in her car next to the voters as they filled out their ballots and paperwork.

“Latonia notified me when they were finished, and I began to notarize all the paperwork,” Hollins said.

Hollins said as a notary public, she had all three Goodrich voters swear the signatures on the ballots were theirs. In response to what was being presented by the prosecution as a forged signature on Roy Goodrich’s ballot envelope, Hollins said she asked him directly if he’d signed it.

“Roy said that was his signature,” Hollins said.

In his closing arguments on Wednesday, defense attorney Cheokwe Lumumba drew the jury’s attention to what he said were vague and uncertain aspects of the prosecution’s case and said he didn’t think he prosecution offered anything to charge Hollins with anything.

“Right here, you have no case,” he said. “It’s time to turn this community activist back out to the community so she can do the community some good,” Lumumba said.

“I think this was a fair trial,” said Circuit Court Judge Forrest “Al” Johnson.