Rogers v. State
Annotate this CaseDefendant was found guilty of malice murder, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Defendant appealed after the denial of a motion for new trial. The court held that the evidence was sufficient for a rational trier of fact to find defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the crimes for which he was convicted. The court concluded that it was error for the trial court to refuse defendant's request to charge the jury on unlawful act involuntary manslaughter. The court held, however, that the error was harmless where there was overwhelming evidence inconsistent with defendant's version of events, but supportive of the jury's finding that defendant was guilty of malice murder. The court held that defendant's contention that the trial court erred by not excluding from evidence inculpatory statements made by defendant to the police on the ground that they were not knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily given, was without merit where the officer's comment at issue was simply an encouragement to tell the truth, which did not amount to a "hope of benefit" under OCGA 24-3-50. Accordingly, the judgment was affirmed.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.