2 Trials, No Justice: Tori Lang

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In July 2021, 18-year-old Tori Lang, a promising honor student with dreams of studying architectural engineering, was found shot to death in a Georgia park. The investigation pointed to someone she knew — a former high school friend — but what unfolded in the courtroom shocked everyone. Two juries. Two mistrials. And a legal system that left her family searching for answers. 

If you’d like to support her family’s ongoing fight, you can contribute to the Justice for Tori GoFundMe campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tori-lang-rip-memorial-services  

This is the story of Tori Lang. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that happened in July twenty twenty one,
when an eighteen year old honor graduate with dreams of
becoming an architectural engineer was discovered in a Georgia park.

(00:25):
Prosecutor said that the person who killed her was someone
she knew, a friend from high school she once dated.
The case seemed straightforward, that evidence seemed to point to
one suspect, but what happened in the courtroom shocked everyone,
including the victim's family. Two juries, two mistrials, and a

(00:50):
justice system that seemed to fail at every turn. This
is the story of Tory Lang. Victoria Tory Lang was
just eighteen years old in the summer of twenty twenty one.
She had recently graduated with honors from Stephenson High School

(01:12):
in Lithonia, Georgia, and dreamed of studying architectural engineering. Friends
described her as an ambitious go getter who was always
working toward her future. But on July twenty eighth, twenty
twenty one those dreams were cut short. It was early

(01:34):
morning at Yellow River Park in Gwinnette County, Georgia, near
Stone Mountain. Around six thirty am, officers were called after
a body was discovered lying beneath a tree in an
open field. The victim was a young woman. She had
suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, but police

(01:55):
didn't know who she was. There was no idea, no fun,
no purse. What investigators did have were tattoos, distinctive, recognizable tattoos.
They circulated photos of them online. It didn't take long
for friends to come forward. The tattoos belonged to eighteen

(02:19):
year old Tory Lang. Detectives quickly realized something else was missing.
Tory's car, a light blue twenty twelve Nissan Versa. It
was nowhere to be found. Police alerted officers to be
on the lookout for Tory's missing car, and about a

(02:40):
week later, a lead broke open. Tory's Nissan Versa was
found about four miles away at Hidden Acres Nature Preserve
Intacab County. The car had been torched, burned beyond recognition,
hidden deep in the woods, but someone hadn't just taken

(03:03):
her life it appeared as if they tried to erase
the evidence too. One name began to surface, Austin Ford,
in his early twenties. Ford had known Tory throughout high school.
According to her mother, Teresa Lang, the two had briefly dated.

(03:24):
Would once seem like a teenage friendship, had become the
focus of a serious investigation. Ford was arrested and charged
with murder, theft, and concealing the death of another. For
the Lang family, it seemed like justice was finally on
its way, but the legal process would prove anything but simple.

(03:50):
In April twenty twenty three, Austin Ford went to trial.
Prosecutors argued he shot Tory Lang then tried to cover
it up by torching her car, but the defense seized
on the medical examiner's testimony that the manner of death
was undetermined. She told the jurors she could not rule

(04:12):
out the possibility of Tory taking her own life, noting
the wound's position and gunpowder evidence. That testimony became central
to the defense's case and created enough doubt. After days
of testimony, the jury was deadlocked, resulting in a partial mistrial.

(04:35):
Four months later. The case was retried in August twenty
twenty three, prosecutors again laid out their case. Once again,
the defense leaned on the medical examiner's uncertainty. After deliberations,
the jury reported they were stuck eight and four in

(04:56):
favor of conviction, not unanimous. A second mistrial, with two
juries unable to convict, prosecutors made a decision that stunned
the Lang family. There would be no third murder trial. Instead,
Ford would be sentenced on the lesser charges. He was

(05:17):
already convicted of two counts of theft and one count
of concealing the death of another. The result ten years
in prison, followed by ten years on probation. For Torre's mother, Theresa,
the outcome was devastating, she told reporters. When we're at

(05:40):
home alone, that's when it really sets in and it
is just very painful. The defensive strategy had worked. They
convinced two separate juries to deadlock, leaving prosecutors with no
clear path forward. It raises difficult questions. How can someone

(06:03):
stand accused of killing another person, of burning their car
to destroy evidence and avoid a murder conviction? What was
discussed in those jury rooms? We may never know. Deliberations
are secret and jurors haven't spoken out publicly. What we

(06:24):
do know is this Tory Lang was an ambitious young
woman with her whole life ahead of her. She dreamed
of becoming an architectural engineer. She was a daughter, a friend,
and a sister. And today the man once accused of
her murder will serve ten years in prison, followed by

(06:46):
ten years on probation, a total of twenty years on paper.
The Lange family continues to grieve. They've lost their beloved daughter,
and they've watched the justices and fail to deliver the
outcome they believe she deserved. For many who followed this case,
the punishment does not fit the crime. Tory's story is

(07:11):
a reminder that even when the evidence seems strong, when
the case looks clear, the justice system does not always
provide the closure. The families are seeking, two trials, two mistrials,
twenty years on paper, only half of it in prison,

(07:33):
and a family is left still asking why. My thoughts
and prayers are with the family and friends of Tory
Lane as they continue to grieve this unimaginable tragedy. As
we close out this episode, remember that sharing Tory's story
helps to spread awareness and keep her story alive, don't

(07:59):
forget to collect the fire button. To stay updated on
this case and others like it, be sure to subscribe
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if you're watching us on YouTube, share your thoughts on
this case and the comments below. Thank you so much

(08:20):
for joining us on another episode until next time. Hunting

(08:41):
for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
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