Supreme Court of Georgia Decisions 2019
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A1006, S19A0992
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellants Marques Nicholson and Ramon Nichols were tried together and convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the gang-related shooting death of Derrick Linkhorn. On appeal, both appellants…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0995
Justia Opinion Summary: The State appealed an interlocutory order of the Superior Court of Columbia County, Georgia suppressing two statements that Christopher Rumph made to law enforcement officers prior to his arrest on murder and other…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1017
Justia Opinion Summary: Bernard Bullard was convicted of malice murder, violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1087
Justia Opinion Summary: Following her conviction for the murder of her husband, Derrick, Pamela Ballin appealed the denial of her motion for a new trial. Ballin argues that the trial court erred when it admitted evidence that she was the…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1215
Justia Opinion Summary: David McGuire was convicted by jury of the malice murder of his mother, Elaine, and for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He appealed, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence as to the…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1248
Justia Opinion Summary: Jacob Jones was convicted by jury for the sexual battery of a child under age 16. He appealed his convictions and sentences for three counts of felony sexual battery, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence presented…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1280
Justia Opinion Summary: Dundell Cash appealed his 2017 malice murder conviction for the 2006 fatal shooting of Euan Dougal outside a Columbus, Georgia nightclub. Cash's sole argument on appeal was the trial court erred by denying his motion for…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1334
Justia Opinion Summary: Mary Ann Spence was convicted of malice murder in connection with the death of Samuel Miller (“Samuel”), a 16-month-old baby left in her care. In 2011, Spence was staying in an apartment in the Carver Homes community in…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1342
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Hentrez Reed was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2015 shooting death of Nigel James. On appeal, he argued that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance in three ways:…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1344
Justia Opinion Summary: Shawn Clark appealed his malice murder conviction for killing Antonio Ellison. Clark did not dispute at trial that he intentionally shot Ellison, but claimed self-defense. On appeal, Clark argued the State failed to…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1396
Justia Opinion Summary: Calvin Denson appealed his convictions for malice murder and armed robbery in connection with the 2011 shooting death of Julian Hernandez. On appeal, Denson argued: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1504
Justia Opinion Summary: Juan Ramirez was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2014 shooting death of Justin Acevedo. Ileanna Martinez and Itzel Jimenez (Acevedo’s girlfriend and also a friend of a Sandra Boyzo, a…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1582
Justia Opinion Summary: Franklin Gebhardt was found guilty of malice murder and various other offenses in connection with the 1983 torture and stabbing death of Tim Coggins. On appeal, Gebhardt contended: (1) the evidence presented at trial was…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19G1007, S19C1007
Justia Opinion Summary: This case involved Cobb Hospital, Inc.'s and Kennestone Hospital, Inc.'s (collectively, “Wellstar”) challenge to the decision by the Georgia Department of Community Health (“DCH”) to grant Emory University Hospital…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19G0007
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs alleged in 2016, an anonymous hacker stole the personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates, and health insurance details, of at least 200,000 current and…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19G0008
Justia Opinion Summary: On June 16, 2010, crossing gates were down at a public railway-roadway crossing -- a position that normally indicated: (1) a train was approaching the crossing; (2) a railway was performing maintenance; or (3) they were…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19G0472
Justia Opinion Summary: After he was tried by jury and found guilty of ten aggravated assaults, Jason Wilkerson moved for new trial. The trial court granted his motion as to three of the assaults, concluding that the evidence was legally…
Date: December 23, 2019
Docket Number: S20A0100
Justia Opinion Summary: Jason Dozier was tried by jury and convicted of murder with malice aforethought, armed robbery, and other crimes in connection with a home invasion that led to the 2012 fatal shooting of Nicolas Jackson. Dozier appealed,…
Date: November 18, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1146
Justia Opinion Summary: Ronnie Holmes challenged his 2015 convictions for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Terry Mack. Holmes argued the trial court erred in denying his motion for directed verdict on…
Date: November 18, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1201
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Brandon Morrall challenged his 2013 convictions for malice murder and a firearm offense in connection with the 2011 shooting death of Stephen “Tucker” Jackson. Appellant chose to represent himself on appeal,…
Date: November 18, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1226
Justia Opinion Summary: Wayan Jordan was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Craigory Burch. Jordan appealed, contending that the State failed to present evidence legally sufficient to…
Date: November 18, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1586
Justia Opinion Summary: Devontae Carter was tried by jury and convicted of the malice murder of Dexter Lampkin, and of the aggravated assault of Gregory Lampkin, by shooting them with a handgun. He appealed, challenging the sufficiency of the…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1086
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Frankie Jay Henry III was convicted by jury for the stabbing death of Antonio Wiley. On appeal, he argued the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support his conviction and that he received…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1109
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Bruce Howard was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2016 shooting death of Jaylon Maddox during an attempted robbery. On appeal, Howard challenged only the sufficiency of…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1129
Justia Opinion Summary: Jesus Guerrero was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2016 fatal shooting of Shiann Cray. Guerrero appealed, claiming the trial court erred when it refused to charge the jury on…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1171
Justia Opinion Summary: William Moore appealed after a jury convicted him of malice murder for the strangling and beating death of his girlfriend, Mandi Kaiser. He challenged the trial court’s rulings on evidentiary matters, including allowing…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1264
Justia Opinion Summary: Demiko Jones was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2015 fatal shooting of Rodney Stafford. On appeal, Jones claimed the trial court abused its discretion when it excused a…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1332
Justia Opinion Summary: Paul Mattei was tried by jury and found guilty of malice murder, aggravated assault, and various other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Angela Williams. On appeal, Mattei contended the evidence presented…
Date: November 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1436
Justia Opinion Summary: Carla Rae Hopwood was tried by jury and convicted of murder in connection with the 2012 fatal shooting of her longtime boyfriend, Ernest Bray. Hopwood appealed, contending that the evidence was legally insufficient to…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0535
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, appellee Dexter Beard was indicted for the malice murder of Selemon Belai; felony murder predicated on the aggravated assault of Belai; four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon of Belai, Cedric…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0597
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, while represented by counsel, Ashleigh Ricks pleaded guilty to felony murder. That same day, the trial court entered a conviction and sentence of life imprisonment. Later that month, during the same term of…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0644
Justia Opinion Summary: Following his conviction for the 2014 murder of Janice Pitts, Dewey Green appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial. Green argued numerous alleged errors, including that the trial court erroneously excluded two…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0684
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Lawrence Daddario challenged his conviction and sentence of life in prison for aggravated child molestation for having sexual intercourse with his 14-year-old daughter, which resulted in a very painful and…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0769
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioners challenged the 2018 election for lieutenant governor, an election in which more than 3.7 million Georgians cast a vote. They alleged defects in electronic voting machines cast doubt on the election in which…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0789
Justia Opinion Summary: Earnest Shaw appealed the denial of his motion for new trial after a jury found him guilty of malice murder and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of Elizabeth Richardson. On appeal, Shaw argued…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0803
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Marcus Eberhart, a former City of East Point police sergeant, challenged his 2016 conviction for felony murder predicated on aggravated assault in connection with the tasing death of Gregory Towns, Jr.…
Date: October 31, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0825, S19X0826
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Nicholas Tate pleaded guilty to the murders of Chrissie Williams and her three-year-old daughter, Katelyn, and to numerous related crimes. He waived his right to a jury trial as to sentencing for the murders. At…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1326
Justia Opinion Summary: In Langley v. MP Spring Lake, LLC, 813 SE2d 441 (2018), the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of MP Spring Lake (“Spring Lake”) on two premises-liability tort claims brought…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1419
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2011, Appellees Elaine Gold, Amy Shaye, Heather Hunter, and Roderick Benson sued Appellants, the DeKalb County School District (“the District”) and the DeKalb County Board of Education (“the Board”) for, inter…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1546
Justia Opinion Summary: After he was tried and convicted of two vehicular homicides, Victor Mobley appealed, claiming that the trial court erred when it denied his pretrial motion to suppress evidence of data that law enforcement officers…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0541
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Matthew Leili was convicted of malice murder and associated offenses arising out of the death of his wife, Dominique Leili. On appeal, Appellant claimed the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress,…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0557
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, a grand jury indicted Ronnie Towns, charging him with murder and armed robbery. Two years later, Towns filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, alleging that the grand jury was unlawfully constituted because…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0658
Justia Opinion Summary: A grand jury indicted Cordalero Collier in 2008 for a number of offenses, including murder. Months later, with the assistance of counsel, Collier entered a negotiated guilty plea to felony murder and the trial court…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0682
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Leonardo Anderson was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, and a firearm offense in connection with the 2014 shooting death of Arkeen Abron and the non-fatal shooting of Showkey Barnes. Appellant…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0705
Justia Opinion Summary: Abdullahi Mohamed was convicted of malice murder in connection with the stabbing death of fellow inmate Johnny Lee Johnson. Following the trial court’s denial of his motion for new trial, Mohamed appealed, contending…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0721
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Kenneth Powell was tried by jury and convicted of malice murder in the shooting death of Lionel Turner. Appellant contended the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction, the trial court erred in…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0749, S19A0750, S19A0751
Justia Opinion Summary: In February 2010, there was a fight at a nightclub in Albany, Georgia, followed by a shooting in a nearby parking lot. A patron of the club, LeSheldon Stanford, was killed in the shooting, and a security guard for the…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0755
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Roderick Thornton was convicted of malice murder and a firearm offense in connection with the 2014 shooting death of Jonathan Brady. On appeal, Thornton contended the trial court erred by improperly instructing…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0908
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Sidney McKinney was convicted of malice murder for killing his former girlfriend Deborah Thigpen by beating and strangling her. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred by admitting his conviction for a…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0953
Justia Opinion Summary: Tyron Henry was tried by jury in 2016 and acquitted of malice murder, but found guilty of felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the death of Michael Johnson. His…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0957
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Frank Causey was convicted of malice murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in relation to the fatal strangulation and drowning of Lydia Ivanditti. Causey alleged the evidence was insufficient to…
Date: October 21, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1352
Justia Opinion Summary: Tia Marie Dos Santos entered negotiated guilty pleas in 2018 to felony murder and other crimes. In the same term of court, she filed a pro se motion to withdraw her guilty pleas. The trial court denied the motion as…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1149
Justia Opinion Summary: The Atlanta Botanical Garden, Inc. (the “Garden”) leased land from the City of Atlanta. The Garden wished to enforce a policy precluding the possession of firearms by visitors to, and guests of, the Garden, like Phillip…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18G1189, S18G1190
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari review in Case Number S18G1189 to consider whether: (1) the standard that appellate courts should apply when reviewing a trial court’s ruling on a claim under OCGA 51-12-12;…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1495
Justia Opinion Summary: Charles Pennington and Jay Briele were found guilty By jury of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of an elementary school. At trial, Pennington and Briele requested that the jury be…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1599
Justia Opinion Summary: Following a jury trial, Carlos McClure was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault based on an indictment that charged him with assaulting Armando Cuevas and Jamie Thun with a lever-action BB rifle by aiming the…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0530
Justia Opinion Summary: Leonard Rodrigues tried by jury and found guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the stabbing death of Nathaniel Reynolds. He appealed, contending the trial court erred in letting improper testimony…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0533
Justia Opinion Summary: Cleandre Franklin was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Marvin Wiley. Franklin appealed, contending (1) the evidence was insufficient to sustain his…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0554
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Mitchum was convicted by jury in 1999 of felony murder. Fifteen years later, he filed a pro se extraordinary motion for a new trial based on improper communications with the jury. The issue this case presented for…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0590
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Urihaan Velasco was convicted of malice murder in connection with the beating death of Quang Popham. Appellant contended: (1) the evidence presented at his trial was legally insufficient to support his…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0616
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Andre Myrick was convicted of felony murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Kenneth Bevis. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred by denying his Batson challenge as to three…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0696
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Maurice Bentley was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with a shooting that killed Michael Polite and injured Angela Johnson. Appellant contended on appeal that his trial counsel provided…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0785
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Bahir Ramiz Howard was convicted of murder and related crimes for the 2010 shooting death of Jerode Paige. He appealed, arguing the trial court erred in several jury instructions, and violated his…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0820
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant LaQuan Brown appeals her convictions for the murder of Ivory Carter, the armed robbery and aggravated assault of George Jackson, and the attempted murder and attempted armed robbery of Frederick Knight.…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0936
Justia Opinion Summary: Rodney Smith and Javon Jackson appealed the denial of their motions for new trial after a jury found them guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Stephanie Smith and the shooting…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1042
Justia Opinion Summary: Corduray Scott appealed after he was convicted of felony murder and second-degree cruelty to children in connection with the death of his three-month-old son. Scott challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1204
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnny Colquitt pled guilty in 1993 to malice murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping with bodily injury in connection with the shooting death of Shelton Chappell. Colquitt received three life sentences for these crimes,…
Date: October 7, 2019
Docket Number: S19A1394
Justia Opinion Summary: James Johnson, Jr. appealed his convictions for malice murder and armed robbery stemming from the 1995 shooting death of Tony Rogers. Johnson argued on appeal that the evidence presented against him at trial was…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0594
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Geno West appeals his convictions for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2008 shooting death of Marcus Simpson. On appeal, he argued the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0655
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Polo Golf and Country Club Homeowners Association, Inc. (“PGHOA”) filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against appellees John Cunard, Director of Forsyth County, Georgia's Department of…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0699
Justia Opinion Summary: A grand jury indicted Javis Denson and his brother, Myron Mitchell, Jr., individually and as parties to a crime, for the felony murder (predicated on aggravated assault) of Mickey Albritton; two counts of aggravated…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0866
Justia Opinion Summary: Roman Hills was convicted of malice murder in connection with the 2014 strangulation, beating, and stabbing death of his live-in girlfriend, Beverly Jones. He appealed, arguing the trial court erred in excluding a…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0912
Justia Opinion Summary: Quintavius Hawkins was convicted of felony murder (predicated on criminal attempt to commit armed robbery) in connection with the death of Clayton Smith, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, and possession of a…
Date: September 23, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0975
Justia Opinion Summary: In its second appearance before the Georgia Supreme Court, the dispute between appellee Lowndes County Board of Tax Assessors (“the Board”) and eight partnerships which built and operated affordable housing apartment…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0489
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Deondra Martin was convicted of felony murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony in connection with the stabbing death of her husband, Christopher Washington. On appeal, Martin…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0491
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Talib Smith was convicted of murder, criminal street gang activity, and other crimes in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Khaseim Walton. On appeal, Smith argued the evidence was insufficient to…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0591
Justia Opinion Summary: Glenn Riggs, II was convicted of murder and armed robbery in connection with the 2013 strangulation and beating death of Dr. Charles Mann, III. He appealed, arguing the trial court erred in refusing to allow him to…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0681
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Davis was convicted by jury of felony murder and other crimes arising out of a home invasion and the shooting death of Nicolas Jackson II. On appeal, Davis argued the trial court erred in striking a prospective…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0762
Justia Opinion Summary: Jameshia Reid appealed the denial of her motion for new trial after a jury found her guilty of malice murder, felony murder, and cruelty to children in the first degree in connection with the death of her three-year-old…
Date: September 9, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0913
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Abijah Richards was convicted of malice murder and associated offenses arising out of the shooting death of Leevon Daniels. On appeal, Appellant’s sole issue was that trial counsel was ineffective by failing to…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0540
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Orsley Walker appealed his convictions for felony murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend, 53-year-old Constance Cox. He contended: (1) the trial court erred in…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0613
Justia Opinion Summary: In June 2015, Quantravious Antwan Holmes was tried before a jury and was convicted of malice murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the shooting death of Todd Burkes. In November 2017,…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0654
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Travaris Hardy was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2008 shooting death of Marcus Shirley. He appealed, contending the evidence presented at his trial was legally insufficient…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0661
Justia Opinion Summary: Anthony Lee was tried by jury and convicted of the murder of Dexter Butts and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Lee appealed, contending that the State failed to present evidence legally…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0688
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant DeAndre Seabrooks was convicted of malice murder and related offenses arising out of the shooting death of Sariah Wilcoxson. The jury learned that Seabrooks had a longstanding feud with the victim’s brother and…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0707
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Williams appeals his convictions for malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, all stemming from an argument in a convenience store parking lot. Antonio…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0722
Justia Opinion Summary: In November 2015, appellee Paul Hamilton was indicted for the malice murder of Brandon Lay, the felony murder of Lay predicated on aggravated assault, and the aggravated assaults of Lay, Teddi Taylor, and Judy Hewatt. In…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0722
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, appellee Paul Hamilton was indicted for the malice murder of Brandon Lay, the felony murder of Lay predicated on aggravated assault, and the aggravated assaults of Lay, Teddi Taylor, and Judy Hewatt. In 2018, a…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0747
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jason Bryant was convicted by jury of the malice murder of his wife, Angelina Bryant, the aggravated assault of Trina Nwoke, and making a terroristic threat. He appealed, challenging the sufficiency of the…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0784
Justia Opinion Summary: Linda Cowen, a Clayton County State Court judge since December 1995, filed a petition for a writ of mandamus, in which she sought, among other things, over $120,000 in back pay from Clayton County and several of its…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0795
Justia Opinion Summary: Kevin Jackson appeals his convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Timbaland Crowder. On appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, Jackson argued the evidence was insufficient…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0860
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Delwoun Williams was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2017 shooting death of Cornelius Gordon. On appeal, Appellant argued the trial court erred in denying his request to…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0927
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Bridgette Hines was convicted of armed robbery and other crimes in connection with the robbery of a convenience store, and she was sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years. Her convictions were affirmed on appeal.…
Date: September 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0951
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Tamaron Varner was convicted of malice murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the shooting death of Joshua Deberry. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred by denying his…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1644
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court determined the Court of Appeals applied the wrong legal analysis in deciding that the four counts of child molestation of which Akeem Scott was found guilty did not merge. The Supreme Court,…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0490
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Curtis McCammon was convicted of malice murder, attempted armed robbery, and a gun crime in connection with the shooting death of Nigel James. On appeal, he argued the evidence presented at his trial was…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0559
Justia Opinion Summary: De’Andre Holmes appealed the denial of his motion for new trial after a jury found him guilty of malice murder and other offenses in connection with the death of Cory Joseph. On appeal, Holmes argued the evidence…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0603
Justia Opinion Summary: Vas Coleman was arrested at his home in Huntsville, Alabama on charges related to the 2015 death of Jose Greer in Fulton County, Georgia. Although Coleman was sixteen years old at the time of his arrest, the Fulton…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0618
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant David Frank Moore was convicted of felony murder and related offenses in connection with the shooting of Delray Crittenden, Nyriek Williams, and Aaron Byfield; Crittenden died as a result of the shooting. On…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0635
Justia Opinion Summary: Hajja Kenyatta Martin was convicted by jury of felony murder, arson in the first degree, concealing the death of another, and eight firearms charges in connection with the shooting death of Ralph McGhee. Martin appealed…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0659
Justia Opinion Summary: James Cooper was convicted by jury of murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2015 stabbing death of his nephew, Ricky Hall. Cooper appealed, arguing the evidence was…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0683
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant Calvin Glenn and co-defendant Delron Glenn were convicted of malice murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of John Tanner. On…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0694
Justia Opinion Summary: Corey Smith was convicted by jury for the murder of Patricia Burley. On appeal, he claimed the trial court erred in denying his motion for a new trial because he received constitutionally deficient assistance of trial…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0695
Justia Opinion Summary: Tobias Daniels was tried by jury and convicted of malice murder and other crimes related to the 2015 shooting death of Mikell Wright and attempted robbery of Mikell’s brother, Rodregus Wright. Daniels argued on appeal…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0715
Justia Opinion Summary: Jamal Foreman was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Wreno Dantoine Fain. Foreman appealed, arguing the evidence was insufficient to sustain his convictions,…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0723
Justia Opinion Summary: Betty Jacobs was convicted by jury for the murder of her ex-husband, Davis Jacobs, and possession of a handgun during the commission of a crime. On appeal, she argued she received ineffective assistance of trial counsel.…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0791
Justia Opinion Summary: Joshua James Cox was convicted by jury of felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of Terrell Clark. Cox appealed, arguing the evidence was…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0801
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant John Blackwell filed a pro se motion for out-of-time appeal approximately four years after the trial court denied a timely motion to withdraw his guilty plea to murder and crimes stemming from the murder. The…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0818
Justia Opinion Summary: Rico Orlando Walker was convicted by jury for the 2006 murder of Steven Harley and other crimes. On appeal, he contended he received ineffective assistance of counsel. The Georgia Supreme Court concluded, after review of…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0854
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Appellant Calvin Foster shot and killed his estranged wife, Daphne Foster (“Daphne”). He was tried and convicted of malice murder and a firearm offense in 2006, but the Georgia Supreme Court reversed the…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0880
Justia Opinion Summary: Hassan Williams was killed on July 17, 2012. On February 7, 2013, a grand jury jointly indicted Alvin Davis, III, Chaquel Cook, Kimberly Williams, and Kiera Graham for malice murder, felony murder predicated on armed…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0924
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jacquez Laquan Worthen appealed his 2014 conviction for felony murder in connection with the shooting death of Robert Lee Parrish, Jr. Worthen argued the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction as a…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0947
Justia Opinion Summary: Alvonte Mack appealed after a jury convicted him of malice murder and felony possession of a firearm in connection with the 2014 shooting death of Benjamin Webber. Mack argued on appeal that the trial court erred by…
Date: August 19, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0954
Justia Opinion Summary: Eddie Robinson was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2005 shooting death of Kenyon Beaty. On appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, Robinson claimed he received ineffective assistance of…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0508
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Ruby Evans was found guilty by jury of conspiring with her son to murder her daughter-in-law, Sunday Blombergh, with an overdose of drugs, and of committing malice murder as a party to her husband’s subsequent…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0509
Justia Opinion Summary: Gregory Rhynes was convicted by jury for the malice murder of Michael Holmes. He appealed, contending the trial court erred by partially denying his motion to suppress all statements he made to police during an interview…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0598
Justia Opinion Summary: Jeremy Scott was convicted by jury of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and criminal use of a firearm with an altered identification mark in connection with the…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0611
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, a jury found Frederick Lee Gude guilty of malice murder, felony murder predicated on aggravated assault, aggravated assault, and theft by taking in connection with the stabbing death of Jacquelyn Nash. He…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0643
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, Appellant Brandon Davis pled guilty to the felony murder of Chassity Lester. Pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement, the State nolle prossed one count of malice murder (the only other charge for which Davis was…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0646
Justia Opinion Summary: A mistrial was granted in the murder case against Monquez Jackson. The trial court found that the prosecutor’s closing argument included an improper comment on matters not in evidence. After making extensive findings…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0665
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Mark Derrico was convicted of aggressive driving, reckless conduct, and failure to signal lane change or turn in connection with a road rage incident. Derrico raised several challenges on appeal, including…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0669
Justia Opinion Summary: A jury found appellant Terry Joe Cain guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Matthew Mobley and the assault of Gregory Johnson. He appealed, arguing that the trial court erred…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0686
Justia Opinion Summary: Jerome Victoria appealed after a jury convicted him of felony murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He argued he received ineffective assistance of counsel regarding a potential plea deal offer. The…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0739
Justia Opinion Summary: Kendrick Cheeves was convicted by jury of malice murder and various other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Quinton Henderson. On appeal, Cheeves contended only that the trial court erred by failing to…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0741
Justia Opinion Summary: Dwayne Abney appealed his convictions for multiple counts of malice murder and other crimes related to the 2015 shooting deaths of Kiana Marshall, Isaiah Martin, and Alexis Kitchens. Abney argues that the evidence was…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0765
Justia Opinion Summary: Freddie Lewis was convicted of malice murder, rape, and burglary in connection with the 1991 death of Evelyn Wise. Lewis argued the trial court erred: (1) by denying his motion for a directed verdict; (2) by denying his…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0809
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Casey Collins was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the strangling death of his 78-yearold grandfather, Edward Smith. On appeal, he argued his trial counsel provided ineffective…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0819
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0846
Justia Opinion Summary: In October 2012, a jury found Dennis Welch guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Jamie Wright. Welch appealed, contending the trial court erred by failing to give a jury…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0861
Justia Opinion Summary: David Jackson was convicted by jury of malice murder, aggravated assault, and various other offenses in connection with the stabbing death of John Thomas. On appeal, Jackson argued: the trial court committed plain error…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0868
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Lawrence Chapman was convicted of malice murder, aggravated battery, and other crimes in connection with the June 25, 2015 shooting of Rosalyn Chapman and Odetta Hampton. He argued his convictions should have…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0882
Justia Opinion Summary: Justin Graves was tried by jury and convicted of murder, aggravated assault, and the unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, all in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of Michael…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0886
Justia Opinion Summary: Brent Shubert appealed his convictions for malice murder and concealing the death of another in connection with the 2013 death of Bonny Cooner. Shubert argued on appeal that the grand jury that indicted him was not a…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0899
Justia Opinion Summary: Quindarius Keshun Morton was convicted by jury of murder and related offenses in connection with the shooting death of Reginald Bien-Amin. Morton appealed, arguing the evidence was insufficient to support his…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0985, S19A0986
Justia Opinion Summary: William Moore, Jr. and Todd Jones, Jr. were tried by jury and convicted of murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and the unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, all in connection with the…
Date: August 5, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19Y1164, S19Y1165
Date: June 28, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0976
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Mahemood Budhani was convicted of possessing and selling XLR11, a Schedule I Controlled Substance. Budhani appealed his convictions to the Court of Appeals, claiming (among other things) that the indictment was…
Date: June 28, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1136
Justia Opinion Summary: Jeffrey Bourassa was convicted of possessing more than one ounce of marijuana, conspiracy to commit that crime, and for violating the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) by using a…
Date: June 28, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19X0210, S19A0209
Justia Opinion Summary: The State the dismissal of an indictment against Dannie Albert Mondor, who cross-appealed. The indictment charged Mondor with homicide by vehicle in the first degree predicated on a hit-and-run offense (Count 1), and hit…
Date: June 28, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0331
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, Appellant De’Marquise Elkins was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of 13-month-old Antonio Santiago and the shooting of the baby’s mother, Sherry West, as well as…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1022
Justia Opinion Summary: Mercer University sought immunity from liability for claims by the estate and family of Sally Stofer, who was fatally injured when she fell at a free concert hosted by the university at Washington Park in Macon, Georgia…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0018
Justia Opinion Summary: Kevin Boyd was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Ray Murphy. On appeal, Boyd challenged the evidence presented at trial used to support his conviction. Finding no…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0042
Justia Opinion Summary: Christian Vasquez appealed the denial of his motion for new trial after a jury found him guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree,…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0047
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Brant appealed several trial court orders relating to his murder conviction. But because the Georgia Supreme Court concluded Brant’s plea agreement with the State precluded him from appealing the trial court’s…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0116
Justia Opinion Summary: Charles Fleming was tried and convicted of murder and related offenses in connection with the crimes he committed against Lamonte Corbin and Tracy Skrine. Skrine told officers he believed that Fleming had brought three…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0146
Justia Opinion Summary: This case presented for the Georgia Supreme Court’s review an issue of first impression: the effects of the General Assembly’s wholesale revision in 2016 of the anti-SLAPP statute, OCGA 9-11-11.1, which substantially…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0166
Justia Opinion Summary: Ruiz Suchiapa Venturino was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Marcos Cruz. On appeal, Venturino contended the trial court erred in several way, principal among…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0231
Justia Opinion Summary: Torico Jackson appealed his convictions for malice murder and related offenses in connection with the 2004 stabbing death of John Ray. On appeal, Jackson claimed the trial court erred: (1) by failing to instruct the jury…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0373
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Davious Taylor appealed his convictions for murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime arising out of the 2009 shooting death of Onterio Perez Dorsey. On appeal, he challenged the…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0418
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Donald Bannister was convicted of felony murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Anthony Johnson, Jr. On appeal, he argued: (1) the weight of the evidence presented at his trial…
Date: June 24, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0460
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case’s previous appearance before the Georgia Supreme Court, the primary issue involved taxation of alcoholic beverages at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Clayton County appealed the trial…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1007
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari review in this case to determine whether evidence presented at Kiron McKie's trial was legally sufficient under the new Georgia Evidence Code to support his conviction for…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1354
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee James Burns was charged with aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, and incest. The charges followed the discovery of a social-media message written by Burns’ step-daughter, K.R., detailing an alleged…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0119, S19A0118
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Joseph Broxton was convicted by jury of the malice murder of Edward Chadmon, Oliver Campbell, and Rocqwell Nelson; the aggravated assault of Deion Harden, Falana Coley, and Jordan Turner; criminal attempt to…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0164, S19A0416
Justia Opinion Summary: William Davis and Trinika Beamon appealed the trial court’s denial of their motions for new trial after a jury found them guilty of felony murder and related crimes in connection with the death of T’arsha Williams and…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0360
Justia Opinion Summary: A jury found Sean Swanson guilty of felony murder, and of the predicate felony of sale of marijuana, in the shooting death of Noel Reed. On appeal, Swanson argued his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0367
Justia Opinion Summary: Arthur Clark was convicted by jury of felony murder predicated on possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting death of his brother-in-law, Sonny Barlow. Before the…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0605
Justia Opinion Summary: Melvin Cooper appealed the denial of his second motion for leave to take an out-of-time appeal. The Georgia Supreme Court determined the earlier denial of his first motion for an out-of-time appeal settled the question…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0674
Justia Opinion Summary: Kavion Wyzeenski Tookes pled guilty to murder with malice aforethought, kidnapping, armed robbery, and other crimes, all in connection with a violent home invasion. The trial court accepted his plea and promptly imposed…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0790, S19A0907
Justia Opinion Summary: A jury found Johnathan Anthony and Jekari Strozier guilty of a variety of crimes, including felony murder. On appeal, the Georgia Supreme Court held that “the trial court properly convicted [the] appellants of felony…
Date: June 10, 2019
Docket Number: S19M0969
Justia Opinion Summary: Ryan Duke was indicted for malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing the death of another in connection with the 2005, death of Tara Grinstead. Duke was initially provided counsel through…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0699
Justia Opinion Summary: Gregory Adams was tried by jury and found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol to the extent that he was less safe to drive, failure to maintain lane, and following too closely. He appealed, claiming the…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18G0876, S18G1107
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, a small business jet crashed into a Georgia Power Company transmission pole on Milliken & Company’s property near the Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport in Thomson, Georgia. The two pilots were injured and the…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0947
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013, the State of Georgia indicted Blane Nordahl on three counts of burglary, four counts of first-degree burglary, and a single count of criminal attempt to commit burglary. The State notified Nordahl that it…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0095
Justia Opinion Summary: Keith Dozier was convicted of malice murder, aggravated assault, and theft by taking in connection with the 2012 death of Gail Spencer. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred in sentencing him for felony theft by…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0172
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Johnny Rigsby was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2010 shooting death of his girlfriend Betty Smith. Appellant argued on appeal that the trial court erred by failing to…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0177
Justia Opinion Summary: Harvey Walker was convicted by jury of murder and related crimes in connection with the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend, Kateria Benton. On appeal, he argued the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict, and…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0185
Justia Opinion Summary: Graham Williams was indicted by grand jury of distributing heroin and felony murder predicated upon the unlawful distribution of the heroin. Both charges arose out of the overdose death of Leslie Ivey. Six months after…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0224
Justia Opinion Summary: Charmane Goins was convicted of malice murder in connection with the strangling death of Lauren Taylor. On appeal, Goins contended, among other things: (1) the evidence presented at his trial was insufficient to support…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0289
Justia Opinion Summary: Jesse Rowland was convicted of felony murder in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Mike Whittle. On appeal, he contended the trial court erred in admitting his custodial statements, in making certain evidentiary…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0343
Justia Opinion Summary: Jaramus Jackson was convicted of felony murder and a firearm offense in connection with the 2015 fatal shooting of Carlos Wallace. On appeal, he argued: (1) the evidence presented at his trial was insufficient to support…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0366
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Danny Blackmon, Jr. was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of his wife Bobbie. Appellant argued on appeal the trial court abused its discretion by admitting…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0378
Justia Opinion Summary: The Development Authority of Cobb County passed a resolution in May 2018 to issue $35 million in revenue bonds under OCGA 36-62-2 (6)(N) to finance a retail development in east Cobb County, namely, a grocery store. The…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0428
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Michael Bowman was convicted of malice murder and associated offenses in connection with the shooting death of Griffin Police Officer Kevin Jordan and the aggravated assault of Officer Jordan’s brother,…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0565
Justia Opinion Summary: Adrian Golson was tried by jury and convicted of murder in connection with the 2012 fatal shooting of Arlester Jackson, Jr. Golson appealed, claiming only that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. The…
Date: June 3, 2019
Docket Number: S19Q0249
Justia Opinion Summary: The federal United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia certified questions of Georgia law to the Georgia Supreme Court regarding the scope of the “acceptance doctrine” in negligent construction tort…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18G0944, S18G0945
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case is whether the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (“EPD”) properly issued a permit to the City of Guyton to build and operate a land application system…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18G1316, S18G1317
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine: (1) whether the Court of Appeals erred in holding that the State has waived sovereign immunity under the Georgia Torts Claims Act (“GTCA”), for Thomas…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1338
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari in this case to address whether the Court of Appeals erred in dismissing as moot the appeal of a juvenile delinquency adjudication. M. F. was found delinquent for criminal…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0066
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant James Spell was tried and convicted of two murders, an aggravated battery, an aggravated assault, and two firearm offenses, all in connection with the fatal stabbing of his ex-wife and the fatal shootings of…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0149
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Johnny Ray Cochran was convicted of murder and a related offense arising out of the shooting death of Melony Strickland. On appeal, Cochran argued the evidence was insufficient to sustain his convictions and…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0173
Justia Opinion Summary: Shontori Gooden appealed after the denial of her motion to withdraw her plea of guilty to felony murder, asserting as her sole enumeration of error that the case should be remanded for a hearing on alleged ineffective…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0279
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Kyle Strother was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Cristobal Becerre-Contreras. Appellant argued on appeal: (1) that the evidence presented at his trial was…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0297
Justia Opinion Summary: Phillip Bailey appealed the denial of his motion for leave to pursue an out-of-time appeal. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Bailey pleaded guilty in 2007 to the murder of Jess Sharp and an aggravated assault upon Lamar…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0308
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, appellant Donald Davis pled guilty to the murder of Shereka Smith, for which he was convicted and sentenced. Davis did not timely pursue a direct appeal. Following his unsuccessful pursuit of a writ of habeas…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0324
Justia Opinion Summary: Shane Collett appealed his convictions for malice murder and concealing the death of another in connection with the 2012 death of nine-year-old Skylar Dials. Collett challenged the sufficiency of the evidence to support…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0348
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Williams was convicted of murder and the unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He appealed pro se the denial of his motion to recuse and the apparent denial of his motion to vacate an…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0384
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Montravious Bradley entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to murder and other offenses in connection with the death of Jerrick Jackson during the armed robbery of Jackson and his fiancee, Kimberly Little. After…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0409
Justia Opinion Summary: Jehaziel Carter was convicted of malice murder, financial-transaction card fraud, and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Eric Chepkuto. On appeal, Carter argued the evidence was insufficient to sustain…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0419
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Tyrone Davis challenged his convictions for felony murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Keith Moses. He contended the evidence was legally insufficient to support his…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0440
Justia Opinion Summary: Cameron Carter was convicted by jury of malice murder of Ashey Garry and other offenses. Carter claims on appeal that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Specifically, Carter argued that, although his…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0443
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Moss appealed his conviction for murder in connection with the 2010 shooting death of Rosa Mae Brown. Moss challenged the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction and contended that the trial court…
Date: May 20, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0634
Justia Opinion Summary: Lamaris Grier was convicted by jury for two murders and related crimes. He appealed, contending: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict; (2) trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0994
Justia Opinion Summary: Otto Orr met Candice Nicole in June 2013; the couple married in February 2014 and Candice became pregnant. According to Candice, after they had been together for a few months, Orr started to drink heavily and would hit…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0068
Justia Opinion Summary: Willie Jones was found guilty by jury of felony murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of Wayman Glenn James, Jr. On appeal, Jones…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0101
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Michael Jones was convicted of two counts of malice murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Forrest Ison and Alice Stevens. On appeal, he challenged the trial court’s ruling on the admissibility of…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0157
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2017, defendant Stephen Turnquest was involved in a single-vehicle accident. The responding officer arrested Turnquest for DUI. After arresting Turnquest and before asking him to submit to a breath test, the…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0276
Justia Opinion Summary: Stevie Williamson appealed his convictions for malice murder, burglary, and other charges stemming from the July 2006 shooting death of George Rutten at Rutten’s home. On appeal, Williams: (1) challenged the sufficiency…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0346
Justia Opinion Summary: Demarcio Williams appealed his convictions for murder and attempted armed robbery in connection with the 2010 shooting death of James Akridge. Williams argued: (1) he received ineffective assistance of counsel; (2) the…
Date: May 6, 2019
Docket Numbers: S19A0351, S19A0352
Justia Opinion Summary: Gregory Haney and Ledarius Jackson appealed the denial of their respective motions for new trial after a jury found them guilty of malice murder, felony murder, and armed robbery in connection with the death of Gregory…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0012
Justia Opinion Summary: Norman Koonce, Jr. was convicted of malice murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery, two counts of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer in…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0019
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnie Oliver appealed his convictions for malice murder and aggravated assault in connection with the 2014 shooting death of Rayonte Weems. Oliver argued he invoked his right to self-representation and that the trial…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0031
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jonathan Hart was convicted of felony murder predicated on aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of his wife, Stephanie. On…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0100
Justia Opinion Summary: Patrick Luckie petitioned for habeas relief from his 2005 convictions for unlawfully possessing heroin with intent to distribute and for abandoning a controlled substance in a public place. The judge at Luckie’s criminal…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0129
Justia Opinion Summary: Briones Wofford was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Jimmie Sellers and the wounding of Mardell Blackburn. Wofford appealed, contending he was denied the…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0138
Justia Opinion Summary: Carzell Moore appealed the trial court’s denial of his motion to set aside the court’s September 2017 order denying his motion for an out-of-time appeal, contending that the court did not give him notice of the September…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0158
Justia Opinion Summary: Clifton Outler was tried by jury and convicted of murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, all in connection with the fatal shooting of…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0174
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Bennie Bell appealed his convictions for crimes related to the 2009 death of Henry Stokes and the aggravated assault of Tony Collier. Bell contended the trial court erred when it denied his motion for a…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0243
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Parks, a previously convicted felon, was found guilty by jury of malice murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children, and various other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Lewis Anderson and…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0361
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jonah Lay was convicted of two counts of felony murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Jason Abram. Appellant argued before the Georgia Supreme Court that: (1) the evidence…
Date: April 29, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0374
Justia Opinion Summary: David Newman was convicted by jury on two counts of felony murder and aggravated assault, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0027
Justia Opinion Summary: The Superior Court of Jenkins County Georgia granted Jeffrey Watson’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus and set aside his convictions for family violence aggravated battery based on its finding that Watson’s plea…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0041
Justia Opinion Summary: Jerome Burgess was convicted in 2010 by jury of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and we affirmed his convictions. Burgess later filed a…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0065
Justia Opinion Summary: George Bellamy was convicted of malice murder in 1998. The indictment named him as “George Bellamy aka Michael Johnson aka Lamar Ellison.” In 2014, Bellamy filed pro se a “Motion for Leave to Correct Indictment…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0250
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Davis was tried by jury and convicted of the murders of his wife, Bernadene Lebert-Davis, and his son, Robert-Kellie Davis, as well as possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He appealed,…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0323
Justia Opinion Summary: Saul Castillo-Velasquez appealed his convictions for malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime stemming from the 2013 shooting death of Silverio Acosta. On appeal, Castillo-Velasquez…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0392
Justia Opinion Summary: Quinton Jones appealed his conviction for malice murder based on the 2013 shooting death of Steven Johnson. He argued the trial court erred by refusing to admit the first offender plea of a key State witness and by…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0439
Justia Opinion Summary: Benjamin Carpenter was tried by jury and convicted of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2016 fatal shooting of Lucio Vasquez. Carpenter appealed, contending the…
Date: April 15, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0457
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Lee Coley was convicted of malice murder in the 2006 shooting death of John Adams. On appeal, Coley argued: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; (2) the trial court erred in denying…
Date: March 13, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1073
Justia Opinion Summary: Albert and Ashley Debelbot were convicted of malice murder for the death of their infant daughter, McKenzy. The Debelbots each argued the evidence was insufficient to sustain their convictions, that their respective…
Date: March 13, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0524
Justia Opinion Summary: According to precedent, Georgia superior courts had jurisdiction to review by writ of certiorari under OCGA 5-4-1 not only the judicial decisions of inferior courts, but also the quasi-judicial decisions of other…
Date: March 13, 2019
Docket Number: S18Q1233
Justia Opinion Summary: This case came to the Georgia Supreme Court by way of three certified questions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. As the receiver of the Buckhead Community Bank, the Federal Deposit…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1052
Justia Opinion Summary: Deondray Yarn was convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the January 2014 shooting death of Monnie Brabham. On appeal, Yarn argued: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions; (2) the…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18A1075, S18A1074
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Brisean Esprit was convicted of felony murder; appellant Mark Jones was convicted of malice murder. Both were convicted of a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Maximillion Stevenson.…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1090
Justia Opinion Summary: In one of first impression for the Georgia Supreme Court, the issue this case presented centered on the effect of the State’s delay in obtaining search warrants for data contained in electronic devices when those devices…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1137
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2015, a jury found Appellee Dolonte Tedder guilty of murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Quleon Glass. In January 2017, Tedder filed a motion for new trial, which included arguments that…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1158
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee DeJuan Spratlin was convicted of malice murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Edward Cobb. The trial court granted Spratlin a new trial, however, on the ground that his trial…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1158
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee DeJuan Spratlin was convicted of malice murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Edward Cobb. The trial court granted Spratlin a new trial on the ground that his trial counsel…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1282
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Nicholas Brooks was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Jason Blount. Appellant contended the evidence presented at his trial was legally insufficient to…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1295
Justia Opinion Summary: Demario Ware was convicted of felony murder during the commission of an armed robbery in connection with the shooting death of Vernon Forrest. On appeal, Ware argued the trial court erred when it gave the pattern jury…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1321
Justia Opinion Summary: In September 2014, Appellant Angelo Dennard was convicted of murder and associated crimes related to the shooting death of his estranged wife, Diana Cruz-Sagrero. On appeal, Dennard contended there was insufficient…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1467
Justia Opinion Summary: Following a jury trial, Reco Dehaven West, a/k/a Rico, was found guilty of malice murder and other offenses arising out of a home invasion that resulted in the shooting death of Nicolas Jackson II. On appeal, West argued…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1562
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Akeem Johnson appealed his convictions stemming from the shooting death of Jamon Middleton and the aggravated assault of Emory Graham. On appeal, appellant alleged his trial counsel rendered constitutionally…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0364
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Maria Matta-Troncoso and her husband, Mario Matta (“the Mattas”), sued Michael and Lakeisha Thornton, alleging that the Thorntons were liable under OCGA 51-2-71 for injuries that Matta-Troncoso sustained when…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0517
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari in this case to review whether the Court of Appeals erred in reversing the grant of summary judgment to the insurer on the insured’s failure-to-settle claim. The Court also…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0563
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Licata's vehicle was stopped by police because it matched the description of a vehicle that had recently been in an accident and had significant front-end damage. Prior to the stop, sparks were coming off the…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0180
Justia Opinion Summary: Following a jury trial, Jerome Coast was convicted of malice murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon during the commission of a crime in connection with the shooting death of Michael James. Coast…
Date: March 11, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0430
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Blaine was tried on a 38-count indictment and convicted of numerous offenses, including murder, in connection with a string of robberies that took place between October 2005 and September 2006. Blaine appealed,…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1045
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed appellant Curtis Tyner’s 1984 conviction pursuant to a guilty plea for malice murder in connection with the death of Martha Mickel. Following a trial, Tyner was again convicted…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1071
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed appellant Curtis Tyner’s 1984 conviction pursuant to a guilty plea for malice murder in connection with the death of Martha Mickel. Following a trial, Tyner was again convicted…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1121
Justia Opinion Summary: Brandon Pate was convicted in 2010 of statutory rape, aggravated assault, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years for the statutory rape, a consecutive…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1156
Justia Opinion Summary: In December 2017, the City of Atlanta enacted an ordinance to annex certain property that lies within the Fulton County Industrial District. Fulton County filed a lawsuit for declaratory and injunctive relief against the…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1211
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted interlocutory appeal in this case to address Joseph Park's challenge to the constitutionality of OCGA 42-1-14, which required among other things, that a person classified as a sexually…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1273
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Aaron Overton appealed his convictions related to the shooting death of Steve McQuire. Appellant alleged on appeal the trial court erred when it failed to give charges related to involuntary manslaughter.…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1322
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, a jury found Willie Chambers guilty of armed robbery, four counts of kidnapping, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1394
Justia Opinion Summary: Dearies Favors appealed the denial of his motion for new trial after a jury found him guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the October 2012 death of Demarcus Booker. Favors argued the trial court…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1396
Justia Opinion Summary: During his 2007 trial, Derrick Cartwright raised an alibi defense to charges of murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Kevin Stafford. Cartwright was convicted and sentenced to serve life in…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1491
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant George Edward Price was convicted of malice murder in connection with the shooting death of his estranged wife, Jackie Price. Appellant argued on appeal: (1) his statement to law enforcement should have been…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1593
Justia Opinion Summary: Dallas Beck was convicted of felony murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime in connection with the shooting death of Corey Liverpool. On appeal, Beck contended: (1) the trial court erred by…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1598
Justia Opinion Summary: Alandis Jackson was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2014 death of Steven Lewis. Jackson appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial, arguing the evidence was insufficient…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1598
Justia Opinion Summary: Alandis Jackson appealed the denial of his motion for new trial following his convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Steven Lewis. On appeal, Jackson argued: (1) the evidence was…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1609
Justia Opinion Summary: In February 2015, Larry Stanford was convicted of two counts of malice murder in connection with the stabbing deaths of his wife, Peggy Stanford, and Phillip Leaks. On appeal, Stanford contended insufficient evidence was…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1610
Justia Opinion Summary: A jury found Coleman Crouch guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and concealing the death of another person in connection with the fatal shooting of Ruben Miranda and Shaland McConnell. On appeal,…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0756
Justia Opinion Summary: In the early stages of the underlying lawsuit, the trial court struck fifteen paragraphs from plaintiff's complaint pursuant to OCGA 9-11-12 (f), but the Court of Appeals reversed most of that order. The Georgia Supreme…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18G1033
Justia Opinion Summary: This case stemmed from a dispute between homeowners James and Mary Hanham and Access Management Group L.P., the management agent for the St. Marlo Homeowner’s Association. In 2011, the Hanhams filed claims for trespass,…
Date: March 4, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0296
Justia Opinion Summary: Justin Tuggle was tried by jury and convicted of murder and related offenses in connection with the stabbing and beating death of Kevin Harmon. He appealed, alleging, among other things, that the trial court erred in…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S17G2011
Justia Opinion Summary: Cobb and Gwinnett Counties, Georgia, sued telephone companies for their failure to collect and remit to the Counties a charge imposed on subscribers to offset the cost of 911 services. The telephone companies raised…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1030
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Tito Ivey appealed his convictions for felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2015 shooting of Franklin Jones. On appeal, Ivey challenged the…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1048
Justia Opinion Summary: Jimmy Riley was convicted for the 1986 murder of Pauline McCoy, in addition for burglary and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. He appealed the trial court's denial of his motion for a new trial,…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1060
Justia Opinion Summary: Varocus Grant appealed his convictions for malice murder and firearm possession during the commission of a felony in relation to the 2011 shooting death of Travis Shivers. Grant argued he was denied a fair trial because…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1204
Justia Opinion Summary: Andrea Elliott was prosecuted for DUI. When Elliott was arrested, she refused to submit to a breath test. Georgia statutes allowed the State to use her refusal against her in her criminal trial, and the State has sought…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1231
Justia Opinion Summary: Jason Wyno challenged the constitutionality of former OCGA 4-8-30, a portion of the Responsible Dog Ownership Law which purported to exempt local governments and their employees from liability arising from their…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1234
Justia Opinion Summary: Willie Winters III appealed his conviction for felony murder in connection with the 1987 shooting death of Stephen Jones. Winters argued: (1) the evidence was insufficient to convict him of felony murder and the trial…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1252
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2011, Terrance Beasley was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in connection with the 1998 shooting death of Rodriquez Hamm.…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1275
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellee John Johnson was tried by jury and found guilty for the shooting death of Brandon Scott. However, the trial court granted Johnson's motion for a new trial. At issue in this appeal is whether the trial court…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1299
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Marquavis Benton was convicted of murder and related offenses arising out of the 2014 shooting death of Brian Whitfield. On appeal, Benton argued the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions for…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1428
Justia Opinion Summary: In April 2015, appellant Douglas Goodson was convicted of felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony related to the 2012 shooting death of his cousin Rodney Worley. Goodson appealed,…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1429
Justia Opinion Summary: Raemon Moore was convicted of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2012 shooting death of Asiel Parker. On appeal, he contended his convictions should be…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1440
Justia Opinion Summary: Dameino Roberts was convicted of felony murder during the commission of an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in connection with the shooting death of…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1445
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Shuntae Battle was convicted of malice murder, aggravated assault, and first-degree cruelty to children in connection with the death of her three-year-old daughter, Jazmine Jenkins. Appellant argued on appeal…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1519
Justia Opinion Summary: Frank Miller appealed his convictions for malice murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of false imprisonment in connection with the shooting death of his daughter, Colleen Miller Grant, and an attack…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18A1538, S18A1539
Justia Opinion Summary: Darius Virger and Alexis Cave were tried together for crimes related to the beating and death of Diarra Chappell, a 13-month-old child who lived with them. Virger was convicted of malice murder, Cave was convicted of…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18A1622, S18X1623
Justia Opinion Summary: Morgan County, Georgia appealed a trial court’s order dismissing Christine May’s criminal citation for violating the County’s amended zoning ordinance by renting out her house near Lake Oconee for a week. The court…
Date: February 18, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18G0695, S18G0696
Justia Opinion Summary: After the Superior Court of Jasper County issued protective orders against Steven and Jodi Bishop in favor of their neighbors, Bernie and Michael Goins and Jana and Keith Powell (“the Neighbors”), the Bishops appealed.…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1031
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Joshua McKelvin was convicted of murdering Marilyn Patterson and assaulting Myra Youngblood, Belinda Hines, and Zeddie Holley. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred by: (1) concluding that the defense of…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1145
Justia Opinion Summary: McDaniel appealed the denial of numerous post-judgment motions he filed since 2009. He originally pled guilty to felony murder in 2002 and was sentenced to life in prison. The issues common to all these motions involve…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1154
Justia Opinion Summary: Mark Birdow appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2010 death of Angela Woods. He argued to the Georgia Supreme Court: (1) the State failed to produce sufficient evidence at…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1209
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Gabriel Flannigan appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes stemming from the 2007 shooting death of Quantavious Ragsdale. He argued he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel,…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1221
Justia Opinion Summary: Zion Wainwright and co-defendant Qutravius Palmer were convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the December 2013 shooting death of Xavier Arnold. On appeal, Wainwright contended the trial court erred in…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1302
Justia Opinion Summary: Jarmond Curry was convicted by jury of felony murder, voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in connection with the shooting death of Byleem Moore and the…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1425
Justia Opinion Summary: The Dawsonville City Council voted to remove W. James Grogan as mayor in May 2017. Grogan sought review of the removal by filing a direct appeal and a petition for certiorari with the superior court. Grogan continued to…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1464
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2004, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Stanley Hollmon's conviction for malice murder, and held his convictions for criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and felony murder had been vacated. More than a decade…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1468
Justia Opinion Summary: Preston Young was tried by jury and convicted of murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of his estranged wife, Sharon Sylvester. Young argued on appeal the evidence was insufficient to sustain his…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1512
Justia Opinion Summary: The Anthem Companies, Inc. and Richard Andrews appeal the grant of spoliation sanctions issued against them, arguing that the trial court erred in finding spoliation in the first instance and in sanctioning them with an…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1559
Justia Opinion Summary: The State appealed a trial court’s judgment of conviction and sentence imposed on Tina Marie Hanna after her plea of guilty to felony murder and related crimes, contending that the sentence was illegal and void because…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0078
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari review in this case to resolve whether the trial court applied Georgia's forum non conveniens statute to dismiss a lawsuit filed in Georgia by Michigan residents against a…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0365
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Charles White was found guilty of three counts of rape, one count of statutory rape, ten counts of child molestation, three counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of incest, and one count of enticing a child…
Date: February 4, 2019
Docket Numbers: S18G0493, S18G0499
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted writs of certiorari in two cases involving the liquidation of an insurance company to review the Court of Appeals’ decision in State of Georgia v. International Indemnity Company, 809…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1040
Justia Opinion Summary: Juan Cortez Mondragon was tried by jury and convicted of the murder of Carlos Perez and an aggravated assault upon Heriberto Soto. Mondragon appealed, claiming that the trial court erred when it admitted evidence of…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1195
Justia Opinion Summary: Jermario Solomon was tried by jury and convicted of murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the fatal shooting of Curtis…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1208
Justia Opinion Summary: Skyy Raven Marie Mims was convicted of malice murder and other crimes related to the stabbing death of Dahyabhai Chaudhari during an armed robbery and of theft by bringing a stolen vehicle into the state. Following an…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1212
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Trevis Worthen was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Tanieshia Evans. On appeal, he argued the trial court improperly purported to merge his felony murder…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1215
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Richard Ringold pled guilty to four counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault, and five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, arising out of the shooting deaths of four…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1236
Justia Opinion Summary: Rocquel Chavers was convicted of malice murder, violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1307
Justia Opinion Summary: Christian de la Hernandez was convicted of malice murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, kidnapping with bodily injury, and rape in connection with the shooting death of Jacqueline Ramon. On appeal, Hernandez contended…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1328
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Charles Richardson was convicted of murder and associated offenses arising out of the 2008 shooting death of Kyle Jennings. Appellant challenged his convictions on grounds that he received ineffective…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1340
Justia Opinion Summary: Jovan Thompson was found guilty by jury of felony murder and related crimes in connection with the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend, Sarhonica Thrasher. Thompson appealed, contending the evidence presented at…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1357
Justia Opinion Summary: In June 2002, Appellant Steve McDonald was found guilty of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, armed robbery, false imprisonment, theft by taking, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1391
Justia Opinion Summary: Warden Kathleen Kennedy challenged a habeas court’s order setting aside Deborah Hines’s convictions and sentences for four counts of identity fraud. In its order, the habeas court determined that the trial court…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1434
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Jordan was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2011 fatal shooting of Johnny Luckey. On appeal, Jordan argued he was entitled to a mistrial after the prosecuting attorney…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1589
Justia Opinion Summary: James Parker was tried by jury and convicted of the 2014 murder of Alan Helmuth. Parker appealed, claiming that the trial court erred when it charged the jury and that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel.…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18A1629
Justia Opinion Summary: Desmond Barnes was tried by jury and convicted of the 2011 murder of Jack Beasley, Jr. Barnes appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial, arguing he received ineffective assistance when his trial counsel: made an…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S18G0146
Justia Opinion Summary: The case arose from the trial court’s dismissal of a child custody modification action, filed by Christopher Plummer (Father), on the ground that the trial court did not have jurisdiction to consider the matter, because…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0039
Justia Opinion Summary: Ashley Strozier appealed her conviction for felony murder for the 2008 stabbing death of James Laster. Strozier argued the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict. But after review of the evidence entered into…
Date: January 22, 2019
Docket Number: S19A0153
Justia Opinion Summary: Following the habeas court’s denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief, Richard Bishop filed an application for certificate of probable cause with the Georgia Supreme Court. The Court granted Bishop’s application…
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