Savannah man who drowned on lake was key figure in 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'
Deppish Kirkland, a Savannah native who played a prominent role in the court case chronicled in the book and movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” drowned in a boating accident Sunday, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The boat operator, Bruce Kirkland Philips, 64, of Covington, faces charges of boating under the influence in the incident that killed Kirkland, age 72. The drowning happened in Bear Creek on Lake Jackson, located in Middle Georgia.
DNR wardens arrived at the scene around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday.
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“The subject fell overboard while riding on the gunwale of a Sea Hunt center console boat,” the department said in a news release. “The boat operator turned around to pick up the man but was unable to locate him. The operator then marked the location on GPS and called 911.”
When game wardens arrived they began to search the area utilizing side scan sonar, according to the release. Kirkland’s body was recovered about 10:30 a.m., with assistance from the Covington dive team.
'Midnight' ties
Kirkland was a former Chatham County chief assistant district attorney who was key to the Jim Williams' murder case featured in “The Book.” In 2015, he published “Lawyer Games, After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" in which he reports what he calls the "truth - including facts never introduced in a courtroom."
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Kirkland was at the Mercer House, Williams' home at 429 Bull St. on Monterey Square, on the morning of May 2, 1981, just hours after Williams, the age 50, shot and killed Danny Hansford, 22.
Kirkland worked with a team that included chief investigator J.D. Smith to assemble the case. Kirkland was part of the prosecutorial team, led by then-District Attorney Spencer Lawton, that tried the first of what would become four murder trials.
Kirkland gave the state's closing argument in that trial, the last words jurors heard from lawyers before they began their deliberations. The jury convicted Williams, but the decision was later overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court.
The second trial ended in another conviction, which was again overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court. The third trial ended in a mistrial and the fourth in an acquittal.
Lawton said he was saddened to hear of Kirkland's passing, and said Kirkland "died early in life. He was a mere child."
He said in his time with Kirkland at the DA's office, Kirkland worked tirelessly to get the office organized, calling him a "fiercely determined worker," with a "brilliant analytical mind."
Added Lawton: "He was just very, very smart. His passing represents the loss of a considerable talent. He could've become anything he wanted to."
Following his time in Chatham, Kirkland joined the administration of then-Governor Joe Frank Harris and served on the Consumer Utility Council, which represents consumer interests before the state's Public Service Commission.
The latter chapter of his life was dedicated to writing and acting. Kirkland lived in Los Angeles for a stint, but Lawton said Kirkland was eyeing Savannah as the setting of a screenplay he was working on.
"He left us before he was able to accomplish that," Lawton said. "But he chose, as I say, to pursue his muse, and I don't think you ever really quite catch it."
Will Peebles is the City Council and County Commission reporter for Savannah Morning News, covering local Savannah and Chatham County decisions. He can be reached at wpeebles@savannahnow.com or on Twitter @willpeeblesSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah man featured in "Midnight" drowns on Lake Jackson
