Despite this, Brannan continued shooting, then reloaded his rifle and fired a lethal shot into Dinkheller's eye, following which he fled the scene in his Toyota pickup truck.

He was arrested the next morning, when officers found him hiding in a sleeping bag beneath a camouflage tarp, still within Laurens County.

While on trial, Brannan pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming in part that he had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his military service in Vietnam.

However, citing the footage on Dinkheller's dash camera, which captured most of Brannan's actions during the traffic stop, the jury found that the deputy had been murdered in a premeditated, torturous, and cruel manner.

The traffic stop at first appeared to be routine, with both Dinkheller and the driver, Andrew Brannan, exiting their vehicles and exchanging greetings.

Dinkheller radioed the dispatcher for assistance and issued commands for Brannan to cease his behavior and approach the cruiser.

At this point, Brannan ran from his truck toward Dinkheller and began to fire again, hitting the deputy in exposed areas such as the arms and legs.

Brannan then began to reload his weapon as the now-injured Dinkheller tried to position himself near the driver side door of his cruiser.

In August 1968, Brannan joined the United States Army and received his induction training at Fort Benning in Georgia.

[10] During his service, Brannan witnessed an officer being killed after stepping on a landmine, an incident he later recalled during a psychiatric interview in 1989.

[10] A psychologist for the defense indicated that the bizarre encounter with Dinkheller in January 1998 "was likely the result of a flashback to Brannan's time in combat."

[13] Brannan made a final statement, in which he said, "I extend my condolences to the Dinkheller family, especially Kyle's parents and his wife and his two children" and, "I feel like my status was slow torture for the last fifteen years.

[16] The video has, for instance, been adapted to include an interactive sequence in which trainees encounter Brannan before he kills Dinkheller.

[16] Police trainers use this setup to test officers' willingness to use deadly force, and to impart to them that "there could be a time... when pulling the trigger is the only way".