SAVANNAH, Ga. — The trial for a Guyton man facing murder charges after a New Year’s Eve attack is slated to commence on Monday.

Charles Alexander Teeple IV was formally charged in early December with murder, aggravated assault, and the exploitation and intimidation of an elderly person. These charges stem from a 2019 incident that prosecutors argue resulted in the death of Bruce Helmly, a retired Savannah firefighter.

The altercation took place on New Year’s Eve 2019 at Basil’s Bar in Wilmington Island, where Teeple allegedly struck the 66-year-old Helmly. Witnesses described the punch as sudden and without provocation. At the time, Teeple, then 19, reportedly fled the scene following the assault.

“We went to bed, and I woke up the next morning to get ready for work, and I couldn’t wake him up,” Tara Helmly recounted in 2020. “So I called 911.”

After the incident, Bruce Helmly fell into a coma. According to his wife, he underwent emergency brain surgery but never regained consciousness, passing away about a week later.

Autopsy results showed that his death was caused by a subdural hematoma, which resulted from a blow to the head. This classified his death as a homicide.

In 2023, Teeple’s attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf and requested a jury trial.