Supreme Court of Georgia Decisions

Justia Opinion Summary: Darron Cato appealed his convictions for felony murder and a firearm offense stemming from the death of T’Shanerka Smith. Cato argues the trial court committed plain error when it instructed the jury on the commission of...

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Richard McWilliams appealed his convictions relating to the beating death of his girlfriend Kathleen Baxter. McWilliams challenged the sufficiency of the evidence presented at trial for the various convictions,...

Justia Opinion Summary: A jury convicted Isaac Beasley of rape, aggravated sodomy, kidnapping with bodily injury, and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 20 years for the rape offense, 10 years for aggravated sodomy, to be served consecutiv...

Justia Opinion Summary: In June of 2015, cross-appellant Quantravious Holmes was convicted of malice murder and other offenses arising out of the shooting death of his friend Todd Burkes. The trial court granted Holmes’ motion for new trial on...

Justia Opinion Summary: A jury convicted Manuel Lord for malice murder and related crimes. Appealing pro se, he appealed, raising “numerous enumerations of error.” Finding no reversible error, however, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Lord’s...

Justia Opinion Summary: Tianna Kidd was convicted by jury in 1999 of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony in connection with the shooting and death of Tameka Woody. On appea...

Justia Opinion Summary: In May 2009, a jury found Billy Davis, Joseph Andrews, and Tremaine “Dick” Calhoun guilty of malice murder and felony murder in the shooting death of Cornelius Lowe. Davis was sentenced to life imprisonment. His second a...

Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted review in this case to decide whether hearsay identifying an alleged sexual abuser of a child victim was admissible under the hearsay exception for statements made for purposes of medica...

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Johnathan Felton appealed his convictions related to the 2010 shooting death of Eric Wright. On appeal, appellant alleged the trial court improperly commented on the evidence in violation of former OCGA 17-8- 5...

Justia Opinion Summary: Richard Davidson and Michael Denay Grant were tried separately by juries, and both were convicted of murder and the unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the attempted robb...

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Phillip Scott Kirby, Sr. was convicted of malice murder in connection with the stabbing death of Emily Mason. On appeal, he argued that his conviction should be reversed because: (1) the trial court erred in ad...

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee Bobby Schroeder received a traffic ticket in DeKalb County in 2013. He alleged he appeared in recorder’s court and was ordered to pay a fine and that he timely paid the fine, but the staff of the recorder’s cour...

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Philmore Reed, Jr. resided at a property located at 1020 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and operated businesses there and at other contiguous parcels. At trial, evidence was presented to show that commencing in 2...

Justia Opinion Summary: Phillip Kennebrew brought an interlocutory appeal of the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress certain physical evidence the State wished to introduce in prosecuting him for murder. The Georgia Supreme Court pre...

Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2013, a jury found Dantazias Raines guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the killing of Brandy Guined, as well as three counts of misdemeanor obstruction of a police officer. He was senten...