SAVANNAH, Ga. — A few hours after a Savannah debutante was shot in the back in a botched robbery on Christmas Eve 2005, her assailants allegedly joked and laughed as they discussed the attack, according to the uncle of the alleged gunman.

As the star witness in the trial of three men accused of murdering Jennifer Ross, Sean Thorpe delineated the role that each defendant played in the death of the 19-year-old college student, as well as his own.

Michael Thorpe, 26, Webster Wilson, 25, and Kevin Huckabee, 21, are accused of killing Ross and assaulting her friend, Brett Finley, who was pistol-whipped during the attack in Savannah's Orleans Square.

Regardless of their alleged roles in the crime, the three childhood friends face life in prison if convicted of murder.

In a courtroom filled to capacity with relatives of the victims, the defendants, and two members of the Black Panthers, Sean Thorpe told jurors that his nephew shot Ross, Wilson pistol-whipped Finley, and Huckabee drove the getaway vehicle.

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The auto mechanic claimed that shortly after the attack he met the defendants in the home of an acquaintance, where Michael Thorpe allegedly bragged about shooting Ross because she refused to give up her purse.

"He was like, 'Yo, the bitch bucked,'" Thorpe said, quoting his nephew, who is actually one year older than him. "There was a lot of joking around."

In an immunity agreement with prosecutors, Sean Thorpe will not face charges related to the incident. He also testified that he received $1,200 from officials to help him leave Savannah after agreeing to cooperate.

As for his involvement, the witness admitted that he was with the three defendants the night of Dec. 23, 2005, as they played video games, smoked marijuana and made plans to go out on "licks," or to search for people to rob.

He also admitted that he procured for his nephew a 9 mm gun, which was ultimately used on Ross just hours after she left her debutante ball.

The witness claimed that he and Huckabee were supposed to take the victims' wallets while Wilson and Michael Thorpe held them at gunpoint.

In the end, Huckabee stayed in the car, and Thorpe fled the scene just before Ross was shot, earning him the nickname "Forrest Gump" from his cohorts.