Testimony opens in 1975 slaying of Atlanta policeman

ATLANTA - A 67-year-old man who has pleaded guilty in the 1975 slaying of an Atlanta police officer was the first witness in the murder trial of his alleged accomplice. <br> <br> Abner Wilkinson testified Wednesday that Terry Jackson, 61, helped him during a robbery at a motel near Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium where Detective Sam Guy was working in an off-duty security job. <br> <br> ``I went on with my life, but I&#39;m sorry it happened. It was a burden to carry that guilt around,&#39;&#39; said Wilkinson, who pleaded guilty to lesser charges in April in exchange for a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison. <br> <br> Wilkinson, who had moved to Atlanta after serving prison time in Ohio for armed robbery, said he drew his semiautomatic Browning on the motel clerk while Jackson went to the back of the lobby. <br> <br> Guy jumped up from his seat and started firing, Wilkinson said. He said he shot back several times before he heard the report of Jackson&#39;s .38-caliber. <br> <br> ``Guy said, &#39;I&#39;m hit bad,&#39; and T.J. told him to throw his weapon out,&#39;&#39; Wilkinson said. <br> <br> Jackson then grabbed Guy&#39;s gun, and the two men got the frightened motel clerk to open the cash drawer. Guy bled to death from a severed artery in his thigh. <br> <br> The trial is expected to continue into next week.