After jurors entered the courtroom, she explained the process for considering evidence and deliberating for a verdict. She cautioned jurors not to discuss the case among themselves until instructed to begin deliberations.
"This case has some unusual parts to it," Williams said.
Chua, a St. Marys physician, is charged with the drug overdose death of Jamie Carter III, 20, who died in the doctor's home Dec. 15, 2005. Chua was charged with murder and 17 drug charges for prescribing drugs to Carter for no apparent medical reason.
Jackie Johnson, assistant district attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, began opening arguments by explaining details of Carter's death.
The evidence will show all the drugs found in Carter's system were from drugs prescribed from Chua.
She explained how Carter's relationship with Chua changed from a doctor/patient relationship in September 2005 to a friendship where the two men lived together less than two months later.
"From that point forward, it ceased to be a doctor/patient relationship to something more," Johnson said. "Experts will tell you this is way out of bounds for a proper doctor/patient relationship."
Johnson acknowledged Carter had a history of headaches after being struck in the head by a baseball and other doctors had prescribed drugs to treat the problem. Chua, however, prescribed excessive numbers of drugs, compared to other doctors, she said.
Five days before his death, Johnson said Chua prescribed two prescriptions for methadone.
The combined effect of the drugs led to Carter's death, she told jurors.
When police arrived to Chua's house, he told investigators Carter was taking methadone "and nothing else."
Defense attorney Donald Samuel, however, disputed Johnson's claims.
"Each and every prescription is for a legitimate medical purpose," he said. "This is not a murder case."
Carter had been suffering from headaches for 15 years that made it impossible for him to go to school or other activities.
Chua reviewed Carter's medical history prior to prescribing drugs to his patient.
"One doctor after another was unable to diagnose the problem," Samuel said.
In 2003, Carter was suffering from headaches so severe his parents had to "literally carry him into the doctor's office."
Other physicians in the Waycross area prescribed pain killers to treat the problem multiple times to treat headaches. He was also hospitalized in Brunswick and Jacksonville to treat his headaches.
"That was two years before he went to see Dr. Chua," he said. "Not one of those doctors has been indicted for writing prescriptions to Jamie Carter."
Doctors in Brunswick noted Carter would probably need "massive doses of medication" to give him relief from headaches. But there was never any mention of the drugs other doctors had prescribed.
When Carter visited Chua for the first time in September 2005, he prescribed hydrocodone, "the exact same drug he has taken over and over again for years."
Chua tried prescribing other drugs because he hasn't gotten relief from other medications, none of which worked.
"Dr. Chua was trying to figure out what it is that it's going to take [for relief from headaches]," Samuel said. "Then he puts in him the hospital and gets indicted for the drugs he gave him in the hospital."
He claimed Chua tried to find "whatever would work."
Chua later prescribed methadone for pain relief, "not to feed an addict.".
"Most experts will tell you it's very effective for pain relief," he said. "It gives you no exhilaration, no high."
Carter had the exact amount of methadone in his system at the time of this death and wasn't supposed to be taking other medications.
"He also had morphine and oxycodone in his blood," he said.
Because the two men lived together, Chua was constantly monitoring Carter's health and the level of medications prescribed.
The intent the entire time he was Chua's patient was to find relief for Carter's headaches, Samuel said.
"When you hear all the evidence in the case, I'm confident you will find a verdict of not guilty," he said.
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