A former DeKalb County police officer who killed an unarmed mentally ill Black Afghanistan veteran in 2015 won’t serve any more time in prison, according to a plea deal entered Wednesday.
Robert “Chip” Olsen, who appeared via Zoom for the virtual hearing, entered a negotiated plea on the same aggravated assault charge that was overturned by the Georgia Court of Appeals in March 2024.
As part of his plea agreement, Olsen was sentenced to 15 years, with 12 of those to serve in prison. But, as part of the deal, that sentence is commuted to time served — nearly five years in prison — and he will serve the rest of it on probation. That time will run consecutive to his current five-year probation on a violation of oath of office charge that he didn’t appeal.
That charge was for making a false statement to police after the fatal shooting of the victim, 26-year-old Air Force veteran and aspiring singer Anthony Hill.
“No one would say that they are happy about any aspect of this case, it was a tragedy all the way around, but today’s resolution will bring closure to this case,” Olsen’s attorney, Amanda Clark Palmer, said.
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage
Credit: Elijah Nouvelage
DeKalb County Superior Court Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson issued conditions of probation to Olsen, including not possessing any firearms, not seeking employment in law enforcement, no contact with the victim’s family except for meetings for the purpose of restorative justice and must complete 100 hours of community service.
Olsen can also not profit from anything relating to the case and events of March 9, 2015, including book deals, publishing deals, TV shows, movies or other media. The case against Olsen was the subject of the seventh season — “Judgment Call” —of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast.
Olsen originally went to trial in 2019 and was convicted of aggravated assault and violating his oath of office.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
He went to prison in 2019 but was granted a $50,000 bond in June 2024 after his aggravated assault conviction was overturned.
“It’s been a difficult situation, I think, for all sides, given the family went through quite a bit during the trial,” DeKalb Chief Assistant District Attorney Pete Johnson said during the hearing. “After we’ve had some lengthy discussions with the family of Mr. Anthony Hill, the decision is to present a negotiated plea.”
Johnson said Olsen has done everything that’s been asked of him during his time in prison, including having no disciplinary matters and going through multiple educational courses.
“We believe this resolution will give some closure to the family, as we move forward,” he said.
On March 9, 2015, Hill was wandering his Chamblee apartment complex naked after he had stopped taking his medications for bipolar disorder, when he encountered Olsen, who had been called to the scene by the apartment manager.
Hill ran toward Olsen, who fired two shots from 6 to 8 feet away, after Hill ignored his commands to stop, the AJC reported. Hill’s parents were on the Zoom call but declined to speak during the hearing.
“While on the one hand they would like to seek more time against Mr. Olsen, they understand the situation and this IS what they think and agreed would be best,” Johnson said.
Olsen was originally indicted for murder, but a jury acquitted him and convicted him of aggravated assault instead.
The appeals court reversed that conviction in March 2024 after determining prosecutors should have not been allowed to put into evidence the DeKalb police department’s use of force policy, because part of it conflicted with Georgia’s law governing self-defense.
The March opinion written by Judge Brian Rickman stated Olsen could be retried on the aggravated assault charge but could not be retried for violating his oath because that count was based on the use of force policy.
DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston’s office appealed the appellate court opinion to the Georgia Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the case.
“It has been more than a decade since Anthony Hill’s life was cut tragically short,” Boston said in a statement. “Defendant Olsen’s guilty plea brings this long, arduous chapter to a close and through it he has finally accepted some responsibility for his actions.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article misstated the date from which Olsen may not profit from the case. It is March 9, 2015.
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