Ruffin v. Georgia
Annotate this CaseAppellant Antonio Ruffin was indicted for malice murder and felony murder in connection with the death of fellow inmate Darrell Blackwelder after a fight in the prison yard. Appellant testified at trial that on the day of the incident, the victim approached him in the yard and charged him with a shank. Appellant fought for his life trying to defend himself, and he testified he had no intention to kill the victim. During the altercation, however, appellant claimed he was able to wrest the shank away from the victim. According to appellant, the victim then fell to the ground and appellant landed on top of him, accidentally driving the shank into the victim. Appellant was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court affirmed that decision, finding appellant failed to show any prejudice as a result of counsel’s failure to request a poll of the jury and thus failed to show constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel.
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.