Supreme Court of Georgia Decisions 2020
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1102
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Fernando Guzman-Perez was convicted by jury of malice murder and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of his wife, Yamilet Rodriguez. On appeal, Appellant argued the evidence was…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A1134, S20A1135
Justia Opinion Summary: In related appeals, Dreshaun Martin and Tori Byrd appealed their convictions for the malice murder of Valentine Dwight Gant, Jr., and the aggravated assault of Gant’s three-year-old son. Both raised claims that the trial…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1187
Justia Opinion Summary: Travis Thomas, Jr. was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting deaths of Jabrial Adams and Kenny Hart. On appeal, Thomas contended the evidence was insufficient to sustain his…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1195
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Quran Knighton was convicted of malice murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony in connection with the stabbing death of Markice Harris. Appellant contended that by twice interrupting…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1364
Justia Opinion Summary: Jhakeem Armstrong appealed his conviction for malice murder for the death of Robert Parrish, Jr. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred by admitting evidence he was affiliated with a gang under OCGA 24-4-404 (b)…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1533
Justia Opinion Summary: James Morris Lynn, Jr., appealed his conviction for malice murder and aggravated assault in connection with the beating death of his wife, Tonya. Lynn argued on appeal that the Georgia Supreme Court should vacate the…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0464
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court determined the court of appeals erred in holding a trial court properly declined to address a claim raised by Christina Flanders in an amended motion to withdraw her guilty plea. Flanders pled…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0492
Justia Opinion Summary: Wanda Nuckles was charged with depriving James Dempsey, an elder person, of essential services and concealing his death. Prior to her trial on those charges, Nuckles filed a motion seeking to exclude a video recording…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S21A0171
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Odeirrick Boone entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to malice murder and other offenses in connection with the robbery of a convenience store and the stabbing death of the store owner, Balk Sung. In 2020, Boone…
Date: December 21, 2020
Docket Number: S21A0262
Justia Opinion Summary: Jean Claude Doricien was convicted by jury of felony murder, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, and various other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Tovara Flowers. On appeal, Doricien…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1151
Justia Opinion Summary: Eddie Clark pleaded guilty to felony murder and other crimes in connection with the stabbing death of Elizabeth Hutcheson. Years later, he filed a motion for out-of-time appeal, which the trial court summarily denied…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1152
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 2012 shooting death of Corey Liverpool. In Beck’s previous appeal to the Georgia Supreme…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1182
Justia Opinion Summary: Craig Thrift was convicted of felony murder in connection with the death of Terry Rouse. On appeal, Thrift challenged the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction; the denial of his motion for new trial on…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1183
Justia Opinion Summary: Reggie Gardner was convicted by jury of felony murder in connection with the shooting death of Franklin Wright. Gardner appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial, contending that his trial counsel was ineffective…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1192
Justia Opinion Summary: Antonio Lanier appealed his convictions for malice murder and other offenses in connection with the shooting deaths of Auda and Gerald Anne Love. Lanier contended the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1208
Justia Opinion Summary: Nicolas Lopez was convicted of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of Robert Moon. After his convictions, Lopez waived his right to the…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1273
Justia Opinion Summary: Malik Golden appealed his conviction for felony murder for the death of Donell Hawkins during an attempted robbery. Golden argued the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict. He also challenged the trial court’s…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1318
Justia Opinion Summary: Detrik Davis appealed pro se a superior court order denying his motion for an out-of-time appeal. The superior court found that Davis failed to carry his burden of showing that the lack of an appeal from the judgment of…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1353
Justia Opinion Summary: Guy William Heinze, Jr. was convicted by jury for the malice murders of Brenda Flanagan, Guy Heinze, Sr., Russell Toler, Sr., Chrissy Toler, Russell Toler, Jr., Michael Toler, Michelle Toler, and Joseph West; the…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1367
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Marquerius Dandre Carter was convicted of malice murder and two firearm offenses in connection with the shooting death of Sarferaz Khan. Around 1:00 a.m. on February morning in 2016, Khan was closing the…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1377
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Bobby Jay Cole appealed the trial court’s summary denial of his motion for out-of-time appeal of his murder and armed robbery convictions. Because the trial court did not hold a hearing to determine whether…
Date: December 7, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1383
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Eugenia Schell challenged her 2016 convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of her mother, Willie Jo Vaughn. Appellant had a demonstrated history of abuse and violence towards…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S18Z1636
Justia Opinion Summary: The Hearing Panel of the Judicial qualifications Commission ("JQC") recommended that Judge Robert "Mack" Crawford be "removed from office" for violating Rule 1.1 of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct ("CJC") which said…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A1081, S20A1082
Justia Opinion Summary: Dylon Allen and Zaykives McCray appealed their convictions for malice murder and other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Chiragkumar Patel. Allen argued on appeal that the trial court erred by admitting…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1105
Justia Opinion Summary: Clarence Casey was convicted by jury of felony murder predicated on an aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of Alfred Bradley. Following…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1146
Justia Opinion Summary: Ronnie Bonner entered a non-negotiated guilty plea to malice murder and other charges in connection with a March 2012 home invasion in Richmond County, Georgia. Bonner later filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea,…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1173
Justia Opinion Summary: Namon Wilcox challenged his 2016 convictions for rape, malice murder, and other crimes in connection with the rape and subsequent stabbing death of Suzanne Stilwell. Wilcox contended the evidence was insufficient to…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1190
Justia Opinion Summary: Jerry Merritt appealed his convictions for malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the 2014 shooting death of Anthony Taylor, following an argument between the two. Merritt…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1218
Justia Opinion Summary: Tommy Lee Morris was convicted by jury of felony murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the shooting death of Tony Foster. Morris contended on appeal only that the evidence presented…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1274
Justia Opinion Summary: Derek Smallwood was convicted after a bench trial for entering an automobile under OCGA 16*8*18. He argued the statute was void for vagueness, or alternatively, under the rule of lenity, he should have been sentenced for…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1309
Justia Opinion Summary: Lawrence Hughes was convicted by jury of the felony murder of Jamon Epps, and related crimes. On appeal, he contended: (1) the evidence was insufficient; (2) the trial court made certain evidentiary and charging errors;…
Date: November 12, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0613
Justia Opinion Summary: In the parking lot of a gas station, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) game warden told Christopher Thornton to turn down the volume of his car stereo. Thornton refused to comply, and he eventually drove away,…
Date: November 9, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0597
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jim Lowery challenged his 2017 conviction for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Montgomery County, Georgia Sheriff Ladson O’Connor, who was killed in a vehicular accident while…
Date: November 2, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19G1138, S19G1140
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari to the Court of Appeals in five appeals consolidated appeals for review to address two discrete issues – one related to pleading vicarious liability, and the other related to…
Date: November 2, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1612
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari in this wrongful death and personal injury case to consider whether the Court of Appeals erred by holding that TriEst Ag Group, Inc., the employer of the driver whose truck…
Date: November 2, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A0820, S20A0821, S20A0822
Justia Opinion Summary: Former sheriff's deputies Henry Lee Copeland, Rhett Scott, and Michael Howell were indicted by grand jury for the felony murder (and other offenses) of Eurie Lee Martin. Each defendant sought immunity from prosecution…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1478
Justia Opinion Summary: Adrien Johns was seriously injured in August 2013 when the front brake on his Suzuki motorcycle failed suddenly. He sued the designer and manufacturer of the motorcycle, Suzuki Motor Corporation, and its wholly-owned…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1645
Justia Opinion Summary: When Lillie Mae Bedford died in 1997, she left a residential property in Marietta, Georgia by testamentary devise to her daughter, Jennifer Hood. Although the Bedford estate never made and delivered a deed to Hood to…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0718
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Christopher Middleton was convicted by jury of felony murder for the shooting death of Wesley Bryant. Middleton contended on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction, that the count…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0767
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Dakota Swann challenged his 2014 convictions for murder and other crimes in connection with the 2008 shooting death of Shannon Williams. Appellant argued trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0781
Justia Opinion Summary: After Christina and Marshall Wellington were unable to pay a drug debt, Otis Hill shot them. Christina died; Marshall survived, but lost an eye. Hill and Aviance Marshall (“Aviance”), who drove Hill and the Wellingtons…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0786
Justia Opinion Summary: Vincent Harris was convicted by jury of the malice murders of Tina Green-Hall and her six-year-old son, Jeremy Green-Hall. On appeal, Harris argued the trial court abused its discretion by admitting certain evidence and…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0847
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Charmane Goins was convicted of malice murder in connection with the strangling death of Lauren Taylor. The trial court summarily denied his motion for new trial. In a prior appeal, the Georgia Supreme Court…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0872
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Donnel Rawls was convicted of malice murder and feticide in connection with the killing of his pregnant girlfriend, Amber Beckwith. Appellant argued on appeal that his convictions were not supported by the…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0887
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Shane Hinkson appeals from his conviction for felony murder predicated on aggravated assault stemming from the death of his eight-month-old son, Alexander Cabanayan. On appeal, Hinkson argued the jury returned…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0939
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Antwan "Rico" Jackson filed an out-of-time appeal to challenge his 2010 convictions for felony murder and attempted cocaine trafficking in connection with the shooting death of Christopher Hoskin. Appellant…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0986
Justia Opinion Summary: Arion Henderson was convicted by jury of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault in connection with the death of his grandfather, William Stridiron. Henderson contended on appeal that the State violated his…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1019
Justia Opinion Summary: Brian Atkins was convicted by jury of felony murder predicated on aggravated assault and possession of a firearm, all in connection with the 2016 shooting death of Brian Parks. On appeal, Atkins argued the evidence was…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1399
Justia Opinion Summary: David Sharpe was convicted by jury of felony murder and other related crimes in connection with the 2016 shooting death of Devonte Coney. On appeal. Sharpe argued he received constitutionally ineffective assistance of…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0192
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari review in this matter to determine whether the trial court had jurisdiction to modify a sentence outside the one-year period after a sentence was imposed, as authorized under…
Date: October 19, 2020
Docket Number: S21A0030
Justia Opinion Summary: Jerry NeSmith earned enough support to be placed on the ballot for the office of district commissioner for the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government. NeSmith died just three days before Election Day. In addition to the…
Date: October 8, 2020
Docket Number: S21Q0068
Justia Opinion Summary: The federal Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals certified a question of law to the Georgia Supreme Court. In it, the federal appellate court asked whether OCGA section 45-5-3.2 conflicted with the Georgia Constitution,…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1236
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Glenn’s petition for a writ of certiorari was granted for consideration of whether the Georgia Court of Appeals erred in affirming a trial court’s order revoking Glenn’s probation based on its determination…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1265
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, Claude Wilson Geer IV filed a request with Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc. under the Open Records Act seeking the release of minutes of its board meetings held between January 2008 and December 2017. The…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1491
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, the Georgia Department of Community Health (Department) promulgated a rule, commonly known as the “Psychiatric Rule” (“the Rule”), that required hospitals to obtain a Certificate of Need (“CON”) “prior to the…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1619
Justia Opinion Summary: Summary judgment was awarded to Fulton County, Georgia on Sandra Ward-Poag’s civil whistleblower claims on the ground of judicial estoppel. Specifically, the superior court concluded judicial estoppel barred Ward-Poag’s…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0714
Justia Opinion Summary: The State appealed a trial court’s order partially denying its “Motion to Include Relevant and Probative Evidence,” which sought a pretrial ruling on the admissibility of two photographs for use at Justin Stephens’s…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0758
Justia Opinion Summary: George Hughes, a tenant in the Venetian Hills apartment complex, died after a fire broke out in the early morning of March 15, 2017. Police investigated the fire, identified Kamara Wheeler as an arson suspect, and on…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0767
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Dakota Swann challenged his 2014 convictions for murder and other crimes in connection with the 2008 shooting death of Shannon Williams. Appellant argued his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0799
Justia Opinion Summary: Quentin Lee Horton was convicted of malice murder, arson in the first degree, and related crimes in connection with the stabbing death of his neighbor Jeffrey Hagan and the burning of Hagan’s home. Horton was sentenced…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0827
Justia Opinion Summary: Layton Lester was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Lorrine Bozeman. Bozeman, who lived in a house with her mother and who was fifteen-year-old Lester’s great aunt,…
Date: October 5, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1128
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Horace Coates appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Adrian Brooks and aggravated assault of Senchael Clements following an illicit drug purchase…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19G1138, S19G1140, S19G1141, S19G1142, S19G1143
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted certiorari to the Court of Appeals in five consolidated appeals to address two discrete issues – one related to pleading vicarious liability, and the other related to vicarious liability…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1486
Justia Opinion Summary: Wendy and Janet Norman alleged that Xytex Corporation, a sperm bank, sold them human sperm under false pretenses about the characteristics of its donor, and that the child conceived with that sperm once born suffered…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1516
Justia Opinion Summary: Thomas Edvalson was tried by jury and found guilty of 22 counts of sexual exploitation of children, for possession of 11 digital images depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. With respect to each digital…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0597
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant James Lowery challenged his 2017 conviction for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Montgomery County, Georgia Sheriff Ladson O’Connor, who was killed in a vehicular accident while…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A0879, S20A0734
Justia Opinion Summary: Anthony Lumpkin and Eddie Green were convicted by jury of murder and other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Nicholas Jackson II. Both appellants argued the trial court erred by denying their motions to…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0781
Justia Opinion Summary: Otis Hill shot Christina and Marshall Wellington when they were unable to pay a drug debt. Christina died; Marshall survived but lost an eye. Hill and Aviance Marshall, who drove Hill and the Wellingtons to the location…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0802
Justia Opinion Summary: Antavian Love was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Enrique Trejo. On appeal, Love, who was 16 years old at the time the crimes were committed, argued the trial court…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0878
Justia Opinion Summary: Patrick Satterfield was convicted by jury of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Richard Boynton. On appeal, Satterfield contended the evidence was insufficient to support the verdicts and that…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0884
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Roshun Gray was convicted of malice murder and two firearm offenses in connection with the 2012 shooting death of Ferderian Bennett. On appeal, Appellant contended he was legally incompetent to stand trial and…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0963
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Darien Meheux appealed his 2014 conviction for the malice murder of Jasmine Benjamin, claiming the trial court erred in admitting a handwritten statement and that his trial counsel was constitutionally…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0967
Justia Opinion Summary: Donald Griffin was convicted by jury of felony murder in connection with the stabbing death of Truitt Cheeley. Griffin appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial, contending that the trial court erred in admitting…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1010
Justia Opinion Summary: Todd Welch was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Christopher Brown and the aggravated assault of Darrell Agee. Welch contended on appeal that the trial court erred by…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1014
Justia Opinion Summary: Andre Bridgewater was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Myron Short. Bridgewater appealed, contending that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1258
Justia Opinion Summary: James Eggleston was tried by jury and convicted of felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with Richard Byrd’s death. Following the denial of his motion for new trial,…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0018
Justia Opinion Summary: Property owners and the contractors they hired to build a house had a dispute. The Georgia Supreme Court granted the owners' request for review to consider: (1) whether anticipated profits could be included in a…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20G0020, S20G0021
Justia Opinion Summary: Tomari Jackson drowned to death while on a school trip to Belize. His mother, Adell Forbes, individually and as administrator of Jackson’s estate (collectively, “Forbes”), filed a wrongful death action in Georgia.…
Date: September 28, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0472
Justia Opinion Summary: Lowndes County, Georgia sued the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (“DCA”) and members of the DCA board over DCA’s application of the Service Delivery Strategy Act (“SDS Act”). The SDS Act…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1026
Justia Opinion Summary: Innovative Images, LLC sued its former attorney James Summerville, Summerville Moore, P.C., and The Summerville Firm, LLC (collectively, the “Summerville Defendants”) for legal malpractice. In response, the Summerville…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0632
Justia Opinion Summary: Jesus Perez was convicted by jury of malice murder, armed robbery, and concealing the death of another in connection with the bludgeoning death of Boydrick Powell. On appeal, he contended the trial court erred in denying…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0697
Justia Opinion Summary: Terry Marshall appealed his convictions for the malice murder of Marshal Tucker, the attempted murder of Latonia Patterson, and other related crimes. Marshall contended on appeal that: (1) the trial court improperly…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0719
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case's previous trip before the Georgia Supreme Court, Dijon Abbott was indicted for the murder of Marques Eubanks and the assaults of Latrice Nelson and Jeremy Whitehead; the Supreme Court affirmed the…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0785
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jennifer Long was convicted of malice murder and first-degree child cruelty in connection with the death of her 18- month-old daughter, Alexis. After they could not conceive a child, Appellant and her husband,…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0812
Justia Opinion Summary: James Robinson was convicted by jury of the felony murder of four-year-old Lalia Hawthorne and of other crimes committed against Lalia and her younger sister, N. H. Lalia was found unresponsive at her home. Taken to the…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0826
Justia Opinion Summary: Vraimone Parker appealed his convictions for malice murder and other offenses, following the shooting death of his aunt’s boyfriend, Kwame Chubbs, and the non-fatal shooting of his aunt, Eva Robinson. At trial, the jury…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0856
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2009, Appellant Richard “Paul” Harrison was tried on charges of murder and felony murder in connection with the shooting death of Dewey Johnson, but the trial ended in a mistrial when the jury was unable to reach a…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0870
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Patrick Butler challenged his 2011 convictions for malice murder and two firearms offenses in connection with the shooting death of Darryl Walden. Appellant argued on appeal: (1) that the evidence presented at…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0880
Justia Opinion Summary: Jonathan Scott appealed his convictions for malice murder and other offenses in relation to the 2016 shooting death of Gerald Daniels. Daniels sold drugs out of his apartment; Scott, a convicted felon, also lived in the…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0910
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Russell was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Christy Waller. Russell argued on appeal: (1) the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0934
Justia Opinion Summary: Chiquita Snipes was convicted of the malice murder of Ty’Qwan Edge, a two-year-old child in her care. She appealed her conviction, arguing: the trial court erred in denying her motion for a new trial; the evidence…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0941
Justia Opinion Summary: Khaleil Barton-Smith was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2014 fatal shooting of Alexander Hunter. Barton-Smith appealed, contending that the trial court erred when it denied…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0942
Justia Opinion Summary: Desean Subar was convicted by jury of various offenses, including malice murder, in connection with crimes he committed against Justin Bryant, Bettie Stoddart, and Gary Kimber at a 2016 house party. Subar appealed,…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0984
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnathan Ellison was convicted of malice murder for the stabbing death of Antwane Hyatte. Ellison appealed, arguing the trial court erred in admitting DNA evidence obtained from a buccal swab performed on him without a…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1004
Justia Opinion Summary: Upon retrial, appellant Ronald Fisher was found guilty of malice murder and related crimes in connection with the shooting death of Derek Cullins. In this appeal, Fisher contended the evidence presented at his retrial…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1186
Justia Opinion Summary: Antonio Wallace was tried by a jury and convicted of the murder of Leroy O’Hara. Wallace appealed, claiming: (1) the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction; (2) the trial court erred when it denied his…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0642
Justia Opinion Summary: Tiquonda Raenell Campbell-Williams appeals her convictions for felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Tyress Malcome. On appeal, Campbell-Williams argued the trial court…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0709
Justia Opinion Summary: Victor Hodges was convicted by jury of malice murder, robbery, and other offenses in connection with the death of Julie Mae Simpson. On appeal, Hodges contended only that the trial court employed an incorrect legal…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0727
Justia Opinion Summary: James Rashad Clay was convicted by jury. Acting pro se, he appealed his convictions for malice murder and related offenses in connection with crimes committed against Rashonda Patterson and Joseph Emener. On appeal, Clay…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0855
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Harris was convicted of malice murder and other offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of Kenneth Roberts and the assault of five other men. Harris was jointly indicted and tried with co-defendants Marcus…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0863
Justia Opinion Summary: Kyle Diamond Luke Perry pleaded guilty to the murder of Jeremias Ortiz and other crimes. The trial court accepted Perry’s plea and imposed sentence, including a sentence of imprisonment for life for the murder. Several…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0865
Justia Opinion Summary: Ki Song Kim appealed his convictions for murder and other offenses in connection with the stabbing deaths of Young Chan Choi and Sun Hee Choi. In his sole enumeration of error, Kim claimed that the evidence presented at…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0873
Justia Opinion Summary: Dexter Anderson was convicted by jury of the felony murder of his girlfriend, Charlotta Marie Lockhart, and for possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. On appeal, Anderson contended, among other things:…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0895
Justia Opinion Summary: Deontae Tremayne Brooks was convicted of malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in connection with the shooting death of Branden “Big B” Tinch and the aggravated assault of…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0988
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Deanna Roberts pled guilty in federal court to a crime relating to the theft of a medical product, liquid silicone, that Roberts injected into the buttocks of Lateasha Hall, resulting in Hall’s death. When she…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1005
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Kevin Reeves challenged his convictions for the malice murder of Marquis Stephens and numerous other crimes, all committed in connection with a gunfight at a house party in 2015. His motion for a new trial was…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1024
Justia Opinion Summary: Marquis Studivant was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Dennis Gayton. Studivant appealed, arguing: (1) the evidence was insufficient to sustain his…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: S20Q0843
Justia Opinion Summary: The United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia certified two questions to the Georgia Supreme Court regarding the timing under Georgia law when a lien is created on the title of real property as…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0580
Justia Opinion Summary: Following the grant of an out-of-time appeal, Richard Ringold appealed a trial court’s November 2013 order denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea on ineffective assistance of counsel grounds in what was the…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0583
Justia Opinion Summary: Lajuante Stephens was convicted by jury for malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and related offenses in connection with the 2013 shooting death of James Evers. He received life imprisonment without parole…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A0633, S20X0634
Justia Opinion Summary: Quantavious Grier was tried by jury in 2010, and convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of James Yarborough. Grier successfully moved for a new trial. The trial…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0648
Justia Opinion Summary: A trial court found that the State failed to prove that Evontae Hinton, after invoking his right to remain silent, initiated further discussions with a detective and voluntarily waived his right to remain silent; the…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0668
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Styles was tried by jury and found guilty of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Alberto Lumens and the armed robbery of Juan Garcia. Styles contended on appeal that the…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0688
Justia Opinion Summary: Rodney Carter Clark was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Mario Johnson. On appeal, Clark contended only that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions.…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0713
Justia Opinion Summary: Ulysses Blackshear, Jr. was found guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of William Land. On appeal, Blackshear challenged the sufficiency of the evidence as to each offense of which he was…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0717
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Brandon Cross was convicted in 2003 of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Debra Hymer. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred: (1) by declining to allow him to impeach the…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0717
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2003, appellant Brandon Cross was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Debra Hymer, who was the mother of his girlfriend, Jessica Cates. On appeal, he contended the trial court…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0721
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Thomas was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Gregory Savelio. In his sole claim of error, Thomas contended the trial court erred in denying his Batson challenge…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0725
Justia Opinion Summary: Diara Hood was convicted by jury of the felony murder of Steven Carden, the aggravated assault of Thomas Smith, and other related crimes. Following the trial court’s denial of her motion for new trial, Hood appeals,…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0726
Justia Opinion Summary: Linda Agee was tried by jury and convicted of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of her husband, Randall Peters. Agee appealed, contending the trial court erred when it admitted certain hearsay statements of a…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0739
Justia Opinion Summary: James McDowell was convicted by jury for the 2002 shooting death of Eric Kemp. In his sole enumeration of error, McDowell contended that, due to the destruction of the .40-caliber handgun prior to trial, the State could…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0766
Justia Opinion Summary: The trial court summarily denied appellant Marcus Rutledge’s pro se motion for an out-of-time appeal from his murder conviction, which was entered on his guilty plea; in the motion, Rutledge also requested a copy of his…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0780
Justia Opinion Summary: Herminio Reyes was found guilty by jury of malice murder and other offenses in connection with the stabbing death of Sadot Ozuna-Carmona. He appealed, arguing: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0782
Justia Opinion Summary: Melvin Brown, Jr. was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2014 fatal shooting of Javious Tucker and wounding of Cyntrelis Boggs. Brown appealed, claiming that the trial court…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0789
Justia Opinion Summary: Antonio Griffin appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes related to the 2015 shooting death of Mikell Wright and attempted robbery of Mikell’s brother, Rodregus Wright. On appeal, Griffin, who was 13…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0804
Justia Opinion Summary: Garren Hill was convicted by jury of malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, and various other offenses in connection with the robbery of a convenience store and the shooting death of store clerk Ajit Kumar Dwivedi.…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0852
Justia Opinion Summary: Tyree Powell appealed the denial of his timely motion to withdraw his guilty plea to malice murder. He argued his motion was improperly denied because he was not properly advised of the rights listed in Boykin v.…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0859
Justia Opinion Summary: Jermaine Young was convicted by jury of malice murder in connection with the 2016 shooting death of Shane Varnadore. Young appealed, arguing the trial court erred in denying Young’s motion to suppress his statements made…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0874
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Elijah Rodriguez was convicted by jury of felony murder in connection with the shooting death of Kevin Rivera, among other crimes. The trial court denied Rodriguez’s motion for new trial, and he appealed,…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0943
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Miller was tried by jury and found guilty of malice murder, aggravated assault, and associated firearms charges in connection with the shooting death of Antonio Robinson, and the shootings of Martaveous Lawrence,…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0946
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Heyward appealed his convictions for malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2015 shooting death of Frank Wilson. The victim was shot eight times, with…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0966
Justia Opinion Summary: Freddie Finnissee, Jr. was convicted by jury for malice murder and first-degree arson. On appeal, he argued the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict and that he received constitutionally ineffective…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1006
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Rodney Gibbs was convicted of the felony murder of Marquis Stephens, the aggravated assaults of six other people, and numerous other crimes, all in connection with a shooting at a house party in 2015. Following…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1021
Justia Opinion Summary: Jennifer Clark was convicted by jury of malice murder for the 2008 death of her husband, Donald Clark. On appeal, she contended her trial counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance by failing to request…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1027
Justia Opinion Summary: Slyrika Arnold was found guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2011 fatal shooting of Curtis Pinkney, Jr. On appeal, he contended his trial counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective…
Date: August 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20G0123
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Sanchious was tried by jury and found guilty of three counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of child molestation, and one count each of aggravated sodomy and sexual battery involving his…
Date: July 2, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0035
Justia Opinion Summary: Brian Davenport appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Debora Abney. Davenport contended: (1) the evidence was insufficient to convict him; and (2) that the trial…
Date: July 1, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0852
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Derrick Middleton was convicted by jury of one count of hijacking a motor vehicle, one count of theft by receiving by retaining the stolen vehicle, and several other crimes relating to a 2014 armed robbery and…
Date: July 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0196
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Reginald Lofton challenged his 2016 conviction for being a party to felony murder predicated on the armed robbery and shooting death of pizza delivery driver Shane Varnadore. Appellant claimed on appeal that…
Date: July 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0441
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Calmer shot two Monroe County Georgia sheriff’s deputies, Michael Norris and Jeffrey Wilson, after they opened the door to his residence in response to a 911 call. Wilson recovered, but Norris died of his…
Date: July 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0470
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, William Pounds III was convicted of malice murder. Pounds filed a motion for new trial, but did so after the statutory filing deadline for motions for new trial had expired; the motion was therefore untimely.…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19G0494, S19G0496
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals affirmed a superior court decision to certify a class action lawsuit against The Medical Center, Inc. ("TMC"). Class representatives were uninsured patients who received medical treatment from TMC…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0013
Justia Opinion Summary: Warden Dennis Nelson challenged the habeas court’s order setting aside Morocco Jacobi Wilkey’s conviction for one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, to which he pled guilty. The Georgia…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0078
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Rickey Williams was convicted by jury in 2017 for felony murder for the shooting death of Lynett Karim. Williams contended the trial court erred in denying his request to instruct the jury on mutual combat and…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0088
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Damon Frazier was convicted of malice murder and related offenses arising out of the 2015 shooting death of Corey Echols. On appeal, Frazier contended the evidence against him was insufficient, the trial court…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0107
Justia Opinion Summary: In the Fall of 2016, Lakenin Morris was driving his older cousin Keith Stroud’s car when he collided with a car driven by 18-year-old Alonzo Reid, sending Reid to the hospital. Morris had been drinking with Stroud, and…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0119
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Olivia Smith appealed her 2017 convictions for felony murder and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of her husband, Cory Smith. Appellant argued the…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0167
Justia Opinion Summary: Shanika Dunbar was convicted by jury for the murder of Theron Robbins, and for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On appeal, she contended the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0181
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2013 when he was 17 years old, Dantazias Raines was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole (“LWOP”) for malice murder. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Raines' convictions and sentences in…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0216
Justia Opinion Summary: Terrence Burney was tried by jury and found guilty of malice murder and other offenses in connection with the death of Joseph Kitchens. Burney appealed, arguing: (1) the evidence presented against him was insufficient to…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0254
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Contevious Stepp-McCommons appealed his convictions for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Clarence Gardenhire. On appeal, Stepp-McCommons McCommons alleged the trial…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0270
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Aaron Strong was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, and knife-possession offenses based on the fatal stabbing of his wife’s son, Maurice Arnold, and the stabbing of her grandson, Deandre Arnold. At…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0328
Justia Opinion Summary: This case involved one of three related bond validation proceedings, all of which concerned the redevelopment of an area of downtown Atlanta referred to as “The Gulch.” After several days of hearings, the trial court…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0404
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Isadore Barboza was convicted of malice murder and other crimes after he, Renee Harris, and Quondre Bentley committed an armed robbery of Ebone Driskell and Exzavious Brooks in a restaurant parking lot that…
Date: June 29, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20X0445, S20A0444
Justia Opinion Summary: Vernon Priester was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2016 fatal shooting of Akhil Heyward and the wounding of Heyward’s parents. He appealed, arguing the trial court erred in…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0447
Justia Opinion Summary: Rochelle Frett was injured when she slipped and fell at her place of employment during a scheduled lunch break. She filed a claim for benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act, but the State Board of Workers’…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0931
Justia Opinion Summary: This case stemmed from an October 2016 incident at the Atlanta airport during which law enforcement officers seized $46,820 in cash from Shara Cumins, James Crowder’s daughter. In the ensuing in rem forfeiture…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0064
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Damien Heard was convicted as a party to malice murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of James Daniel Evers, the armed robbery of Donald Evers, and the aggravated assaults of Charles…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0125
Justia Opinion Summary: Torrey Sicarr Nigel Scott was tried by jury and convicted of murder, four rapes, and various other offenses in connection with a violent crime spree in the Savannah area in late 2013 and early 2014. Scott appealed,…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0133
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant DeAndre Glover was convicted of malice murder and making a false statement in connection with the 2015 shooting death of Mario Williams. The trial court denied his motion for a new trial and Glover appealed,…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0134
Justia Opinion Summary: Nathaniel Mathis was found guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2016 shooting death of Rodney Benton. Mathis appealed, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence as to each offense of which he…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0161
Justia Opinion Summary: In late 2015, Michael Charnota was walking his dog “Katie,” who was leashed, in front of his residence in Paulding County, Georgia when a dog later identified as “Tucker” attacked and killed Katie. When Charnota carried…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0177
Justia Opinion Summary: Merrick Redding was tried by jury and convicted of murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Joseph Davis. Redding appealed arguing: (1) the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain his…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0191
Justia Opinion Summary: Raekwon Pauldo was convicted by jury on one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, and three counts of aggravated assault in connection with the death of Jaquel Smith. The trial court granted Pauldo’s motion…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A0227, S20X0228
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Corey Gardhigh was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, felony murder, and other crimes in connection with the beating death of Paul Grady. In his appeal, Case No. S20A0227, Gardhigh contended the trial…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0402
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Dobbins was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Hollis Boddie. On appeal, Dobbins contended: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions;…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0409
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case's first appearance, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed the trial court's grant of David Newman's motion for a new trial. In doing so, the Court found the trial court erred in concluding that harmful error…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0505
Justia Opinion Summary: Terrance Medina was indicted for malice murder (Count 1), felony murder (Count 2), aggravated assault (Count 3), and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (Count 4) in connection with the July 20,…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: S20A1277
Justia Opinion Summary: In a discretionary appeal, the Georgia Supreme Court considered whether the superior court erred in dismissing Marcus Tumlinson's petition for pre-trial habeas relief without considering the merits of his claims or…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0499
Justia Opinion Summary: Shane Berryhill fainted and fell out of an 18-foot deer stand while hunting five days after undergoing major heart surgery. Plaintiffs Berryhill and his wife sued his surgeon, Dr. Dale Daly, and Savannah Cardiology…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0967
Justia Opinion Summary: Kristine Heath was convicted by jury of homicide by vehicle in the first degree based on reckless driving; homicide by vehicle in the second degree; five counts of serious injury by vehicle; and failure to stop at a stop…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S19G1000
Justia Opinion Summary: InComm Financial Services issued pre-paid debit and credit cards under the “Vanilla VISA” brand to cardholders who use the cards to buy goods and services. Global Payments, Inc. was a financial data payment processor.…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0185
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Dextreion Shealey and his co-defendant Kelvin Hurston were found guilty of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2016 gang-related shooting death of Daven Tucker. Appellant’s only contention on…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0245
Justia Opinion Summary: Timmy Thompson was found guilty by jury of murder in connection with the death of his wife, Peggy Thompson. Peggy’s cause of death was determined to be blunt-force injuries to her head in conjunction with asphyxia, and…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0259
Justia Opinion Summary: Cedric Newton, Jr. was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2010 fatal shooting of Udondra Hargrove. On appeal, Newton claimed the trial court erred when it denied his motion to…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0355
Justia Opinion Summary: At a 2004 trial, a jury found Appellant Mario Stinchcomb guilty of felony murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting death of Jakesha Young. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0410
Justia Opinion Summary: Dora Treadaway was convicted of felony murder in connection with the death of her husband Claude “Randy” Treadaway. On appeal, Treadaway argued: (1) the trial court’s order denying her motion for new trial should have…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0414
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Seth Joseph Brian Rouzan challenged his 2013 convictions for malice murder and another crime in connection with the shooting death of Joseph Williams, Jr. Appellant claimed: (1) the trial court applied the…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0483
Justia Opinion Summary: Rodney Hamilton was convicted by jury of felony murder predicated on aggravated battery, in connection with the death of his three-year-old adopted daughter. On appeal, Hamilton argued the evidence submitted against him…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0500
Justia Opinion Summary: Melissa Norris was convicted by jury of malice murder and a related firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of her father, Charles. Norris and her father had a strained relationship based on Norris’s…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0536
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Lyons was convicted by jury for the felony murder of Tony Lyons, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of home invasion, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On…
Date: June 1, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0857
Justia Opinion Summary: Stanley Dixon was convicted by jury of malice murder for the shooting death of Cedrick Clark. He was also convicted of aggravated assault, possession of a handgun by an underaged person, and multiple counts of…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0426
Justia Opinion Summary: Joshua Brumbelow petitioned the Superior Court of Habersham County to legitimate his biological son, E.M. The superior court denied the petition, concluding that, under In re Eason, 358 SE2d 459 (1987), Brumbelow had…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0802
Justia Opinion Summary: After approximately ten years of litigation, the Georgia Supreme Court granted a second petition for certiorari in a dispute over the refund of millions of dollars in Georgia sales and use taxes that allegedly violated a…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0039
Justia Opinion Summary: In June 2018, Appellants Mary Jackson and her non-profit organization, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (“ROSE”), filed a complaint against the Secretary of State challenging the constitutionality of the Georgia…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0118
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, Appellant Charles Mahaffey entered negotiated guilty pleas to felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing death of Christopher Reynolds. Appellant later challenged the trial court’s…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0170
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Vashon Walker challenged his 2016 conviction for felony murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Jessica Osborne. He contended that the evidence was legally insufficient, that the trial court erred in…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0288
Justia Opinion Summary: Anderson Carson was tried by jury and convicted of the malice murder of Lee Solkol, and the robbery by force of Fred Hickson. On appeal, Carson argued the trial court erred by: (1) denying his motion to sever; (2)…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0309
Justia Opinion Summary: Monique Sullivan was convicted by jury of felony murder predicated on aggravated assault in connection with the death of Amelia Hiltz; the aggravated assaults of Maureen Floyd and Kevin Mollenhauer; reckless conduct in…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0343
Justia Opinion Summary: Antione Hood 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 Candace McGriff. Hood appealed, contending that his trial counsel…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0457
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant, Warden Glen Johnson, challenged a habeas court’s order setting aside Larry Williams’ convictions for four counts of armed robbery, one count of terroristic threats, and one count of using a hoax device. In its…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0482
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant James Hampton was tried with Dwayne Abney and convicted of three counts of malice murder and several other crimes in connection with the shooting deaths of Kiana Marshall, Isaiah Martin, and Alexis Kitchens.…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0504
Justia Opinion Summary: Donnie Rowe, Jr. was accused of double murder during a prison escape. In the pending death penalty prosecution of Rowe, the trial court directed that all records of visits from Rowe’s defense team to various prisoners be…
Date: May 18, 2020
Docket Number: S20Q0374
Justia Opinion Summary: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia certified three questions to the Georgia Supreme Court regarding the scope of the Georgia Dealers in Agricultural Products Act, Ga. L. 1956, p. 617…
Date: May 14, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20A1029, S20A1031
Justia Opinion Summary: These cases involved challenges to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s decision to cancel the election originally scheduled for May 19, 2020, for the office of Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia held by Justice…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0007
Justia Opinion Summary: Jimmy Evans was convicted by jury for murder and other crimes relating to the 2006 deaths of Tavoris Calhoun and Dezmon Thomas. On appeal, Evans argued that because he was visibly intoxicated at the time he made…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0022
Justia Opinion Summary: Brandon Carter was convicted by jury of malice murder and two firearm offenses in connection with the shooting death of Terrance Baker. On appeal, Carter contended the trial court erred by admitting certain hearsay…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0103
Justia Opinion Summary: Larry Rosser was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Alexis Vereen. On appeal, Rosser challenged the sufficiency of the evidence presented against him at trial, and argued…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0171
Justia Opinion Summary: Javis Whitehead was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Dominique Larry. On appeal, Whitehead challenged the sufficiency of the evidence presented to rebut his claim of…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0195
Justia Opinion Summary: Renita Collins was tried for murder along with co-defendant Michael Stallworth. Collins appealed her convictions for murder and possession of a firearm while in commission of a felony in connection with the shooting…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0217
Justia Opinion Summary: Lavaris Dawson was convicted by jury of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Mamadou Camara. On appeal, Dawson challenged the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his convictions, and…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0236
Justia Opinion Summary: Derrick Styles was convicted by jury of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Alberto Lumens and the armed robbery fo Juan Lumens Garcia. On appeal, Styles contended the trial court…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0258
Justia Opinion Summary: Rupert Clark was convicted by jury for the malice murder of his wife, Rosemarie Lebert-Clark. He was also convicted of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On appeal, he argued he received…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0285
Justia Opinion Summary: Esco Hill was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes relating to the stabbing death of Alford Morris in 2014. On appeal, Hill argued the trial court committed reversible error by requiring him to be visibly…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0356
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1992, Douglas Burley pled guilty to malice murder. He moved for an out-of-time appeal in 2019, claiming that his right to appeal was frustrated by his plea counsel’s erroneous advice that he could not appeal his…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0489
Justia Opinion Summary: Jacquan Oliver entered a negotiated plea of guilty to felony murder in connection with the shooting death of Alexander Mixon. He appealed his conviction and sentence, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in…
Date: May 4, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0871
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Spencer was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shootings of Sylvia Watson and Samuel White. Spencer appealed, claiming only that the evidence was insufficient to support…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0006
Justia Opinion Summary: Randall Keller was convicted of felony murder and related crimes arising out of the beating death of his ex-wife’s two-year-old son, William Powell. On appeal, Keller raised numerous claims of error, including…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0056
Justia Opinion Summary: A jury convicted Antonio Sullivan of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Wava Benton. On appeal, Sullivan contended his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective by failing to…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0127
Justia Opinion Summary: Victoria Rickman was convicted by jury of malice murder and a related firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of William Carter, Jr. Rickman and Carter had a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship with…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0158
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Tommy Collins was convicted of felony murder in connection with the stabbing death of 14-year-old Rueben Hand. Friends gathered to watch the Peach Drop on New Year's Eve 2010; a disagreement ensued and Hand was…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0176
Justia Opinion Summary: Darius Morris was found guilty by jury of malice murder and other offenses in connection with the shooting death of Jameson Bush. Morris appealed, arguing he was denied the right to a timely appeal, that the trial court…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0241
Justia Opinion Summary: Richard Williams, II, was tried by jury and convicted of murder in connection with the strangulation death of Cory Robinson. Williams and Robinson were involved in a sexual relationship and had been living together at an…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0247
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Ronald Turner appeals from his conviction for malice murder stemming from the stabbing death of William King. The stabbing took place outside an apartment at which Turner had driven in order to trade food for…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0265
Justia Opinion Summary: Herbert Robinson appealed his convictions for malice murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the death of Michael Moore. On appeal, he argued the trial…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0344
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Carzell Moore, proceeding pro se, appealed a trial court’s denial of his motion to set aside a September 2017 order denying his motion for an out-of-time appeal of his 2002 resentencing on his 1977 convictions…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0364
Justia Opinion Summary: Roger Mills was found guilty by jury of malice murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Masuto Garrett. Mills contended that the trial court erred when, during jury deliberations, it excused a…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0380
Justia Opinion Summary: Reuben Valrie was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the death of his infant daughter Aliyana. Valrie appealed, claiming that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel.…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0399
Justia Opinion Summary: Larmell Heyward was convicted by jury of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2007 shooting death of Ramon Rogers. Heyward argued on appeal of those…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0563
Justia Opinion Summary: Cuevas Carlos Santana was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2010 shooting deaths of Israel Espinoza Mendoza, Vincente Soto Chavez, and Renato Soto Valencia. On appeal, Santana…
Date: April 20, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0819
Justia Opinion Summary: Kenneth Howard was tried by jury and convicted of the murder of Emily Ann Smith Newbegin. Howard appealed, contending that the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain his conviction. Upon its review of the record…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0473
Justia Opinion Summary: Travelers Property Casualty Company of America (“Travelers”) filed suit against SRM Group, Inc. (“SRM”), seeking to recover unpaid premiums due under a workers’ compensation insurance policy. In response, SRM asserted…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0082
Justia Opinion Summary: Gary Holland was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide predicated on a hit- and-run. Holland moved to bar his prosecution for that offense. The trial court granted his motion, declaring OCGA 40-6-393(b)…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0104
Justia Opinion Summary: Amy McGarity was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes in connection with the kidnapping and strangulation death of Kayla Weil. McGarity contended that the trial court erred in denying her motion for a new trial,…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0153
Justia Opinion Summary: Irwin Dresbach appealed his convictions for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the 2014 shooting death of Jennifer Gatewood. Dresbach argued on appeal that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0159
Justia Opinion Summary: Raekwon Roseboro was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2015 shooting death of Willie Deandre Jackson and the aggravated assault of Kendrick Ellison. On appeal, Roseboro argued he received…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0202
Justia Opinion Summary: Cornelius Hatney was convicted by jury of felony murder predicated on aggravated assault in connection with the beating death of Etate Essang. Hatney appealed, contending that the trial court erred in refusing to give a…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0218
Justia Opinion Summary: Phell Hudson, Jr. appealed his convictions for malice murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and making a false statement, all stemming from the shooting death of Michael Allen. Hudson argued…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0226
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Michael Frazier, Jr. was convicted as a party to the crimes of felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of one of his accomplices,…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0251
Justia Opinion Summary: After the trial court granted his motion for new trial, Laurence Watts was retried before a jury in 2010 and again found guilty of malice murder and related offenses in connection with the 2003 shooting death of Brent…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0252
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Gary Ensslin was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Stephen Wills. Ensslin contended on appeal that in denying his motion for new trial, the trial court erred…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0268
Justia Opinion Summary: Deante Hall was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit malice murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a…
Date: April 6, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0273
Justia Opinion Summary: Marquez Martin was convicted by jury of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting deaths of James Wood and Russell Jacobs. On appeal, Martin contended his trial counsel was constitutionally…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19A1130, S19X1131
Justia Opinion Summary: Both the State of Georgia and Johnny Lee Gates appealed the grant of Gates’ extraordinary motion for new trial by the trial court. In Case No. S19A1130, the State argued that the trial court abused its discretion when it…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1163
Justia Opinion Summary: Edward Williams appealed a superior court order dismissing his second amended complaint with prejudice. Acting pro se, Williams sued DeKalb County and members of its governing authority, the Chief Executive Officer and…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1253
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Henry Stubbs was convicted of armed robbery and hijacking a motor vehicle, among many other crimes, and was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 31 years. On direct appeal, the Court of Appeals affirmed his…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1410
Justia Opinion Summary: In March 2018, Paul Remy was tried for murder and other crimes related to the shooting death of Jenario Stark. After the jury had deliberated for a full day without reaching a verdict, the trial court declared a…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1506
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted Joseph Watkins’ application for a certificate of probable cause to appeal a superior court order dismissing Watkins’ second petition for writ of habeas corpus. The issue presented for…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0026
Justia Opinion Summary: Charles “Dre” Mattox was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the fatal shootings of Dewayne Bacon and John Bacon. Mattox appealed, claiming: (1) the evidence was insufficient to…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0027
Justia Opinion Summary: Robert Wilson was convicted by jury for the murder of his infant son. As appeal. He challenged the sufficiency of the evidence, specifically that the evidence presented against him was entirely circumstantial, and that…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0058
Justia Opinion Summary: Demarquis Glenn was convicted by jury for the murder of Quantieria Knight, and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. On appeal, Glenn argued the trial court abused its discretion when it denied his…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0115
Justia Opinion Summary: Marcus Moore pled guilty to, and was convicted of murder. He moved for an out-of-time appeal. The trial court later sua sponte dismissed Moore’s notice of appeal from the order denying his motion for an out-of-time…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0173
Justia Opinion Summary: Rosano Bundel appealed his convictions for malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2011 shooting death of George Tabetando. Bundel argued that the weight of the…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0214
Justia Opinion Summary: Vivian Corley was conned by jury of murder, aggravated assault, and the unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the fatal shooting of Lorraine Manuel. Corley appealed,…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0232
Justia Opinion Summary: Eric Simmons was convicted by jury for murder and the possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Simmons argued the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support his convictions and that the…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0248
Justia Opinion Summary: Todd Goff was convicted of malice murder for killing his girlfriend, Tiffany Salter. The trial court granted Goff a new trial on the basis that his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by: (1) advising Goff not…
Date: March 13, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0372
Justia Opinion Summary: Tracy Jones, who pleaded guilty to murder and other offenses, filed a motion for out-of-time appeal, claiming that her plea counsel abandoned her after sentencing and that her right to appeal was thereby frustrated. The…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S18G1436
Justia Opinion Summary: “Under longstanding Georgia law,” when a client sues his former attorney for legal malpractice, the client impliedly waives the attorney-client privilege with respect to the underlying matter or matters to the extent…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19A1052, S19A1054
Justia Opinion Summary: After a 2009 jury trial, Damon Bamberg and his mother, Sonya Bamberg, were convicted of murder and other offenses arising out of the shooting death of Damon’s ex-wife, Allison Nicole “Nikki” Bamberg. They appealed,…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1098
Justia Opinion Summary: Omari Smith was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of T’Shanerka Smith (no relation). On appeal, Smith contended the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions;…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1120
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Rickey Westbrook appealed his convictions for malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony stemming from the 2015 shooting death of Harry Wells. Westbrook contended, among other…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1341
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, a jury found Devin Sawyer guilty of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Michael Weeks, Jr. Sawyer appeals, contending that his trial counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1361
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, a jury found Damian McElrath guilty but mentally ill of the felony murder and aggravated assault of his adoptive mother, Diane, whom McElrath killed by stabbing over 50 times in a single episode. Based on the…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1363
Justia Opinion Summary: An appeal of Marlina Hamilton’s indictment for the murder of her ex-husband Christopher Donaldson, went before the Georgia Supreme Court three times. After Hamilton was convicted of felony murder and other crimes in…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1403
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Nathaniel Wilkins was convicted of two counts of malice murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Forrest Ison and Alice Stevens. He appealed, arguing: (1) the trial court erred by admitting into…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1404
Justia Opinion Summary: Frederick Johnson, Jr. was charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felony first-offender probationer, both in connection with the 2016 fatal shooting of Tyrell Jordan. Johnson contended he shot…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1411
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Thanquarius Calhoun was convicted of felony murder and various misdemeanors in connection with the death of Marion Shore. On appeal, Calhoun argued his trial counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1448
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Fernando Hogan appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes stemming from the shooting death of Kilon Williams and the aggravated assault of Williams’s friend, Nicholas Gibson. On appeal, Hogan…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19A1474, S19A1475
Justia Opinion Summary: Albert and Ashley Debelbot were tried by jury and convicted of the murder of their infant daughter, McKenzy. Following the denial of their motions for new trial, the Debelbots appealed, asserting, among other claims of…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1496
Justia Opinion Summary: Clark Hyden was convicted by jury of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, and various other offenses in connection with the beating death of Tommy Crabb, Sr. On appeal, Hyden contended: the…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1498
Justia Opinion Summary: This case stemmed from a challenge to the results of the March 2018 special election for the mayor of the City of Blythe, Georgia, wherein Appellee Phillip Stewart defeated Appellant Cynthia Parham by a margin of four…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1577
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Cornelius Edwards challenged his 2018 convictions for felony murder and other crimes in connection with an attempted armed robbery of Delvin Phillips and Marvin Goodman that resulted in the shooting death of…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1579
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2005, Appellant Contresstis Tolbert and his co-defendant Jeremy Butts were found guilty of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2001 shooting death of Robert Funderburk. Appellant contended the trial…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1580
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Charles Kilpatrick, Jr. appeals his convictions related to the shooting death of Joseph Wilder. In 1998, appellant and Wilder were driving westbound on I-20 in their respective vehicles. Appellant’s friend,…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0278
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, Priscilla Savoy, individually and as executor of her mother’s estate, filed suit against her sisters Eleanor Bowen and Margaret Innocenti (collectively “defendants”) contending that they colluded to appropriate…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0422
Justia Opinion Summary: Matthew Ragsdale filed this personal injury action against the Georgia Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) after he was injured during an October 31, 2014 motor vehicle accident that occurred when Ross Singleton, the…
Date: February 28, 2020
Docket Numbers: S20Y0065, S20Y0066, S20Y0067
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S18G1549
Justia Opinion Summary: In a personal injury case, the trial court excluded the testimony of an expert defense witness, reasoning that the expert had “not [been] properly identified within the parameters of the scheduling order.” The Court of…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S18G1638
Justia Opinion Summary: The issue this case presented for the Georgia Supreme Court’s review centered on a claim of abusive litigation that Timothy Coen filed based on a previous contract lawsuit against his former employer that was resolved in…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1044
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Gittens was convicted by jury of malice murder in connection with the death of fellow inmate Johnny Johnson. Gittens argued on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction, that trial…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1145
Justia Opinion Summary: A grand jury indicted Archie Bryant and Jose Carrillo in connection with the 2017 shooting death of Shawn Rhinehart. The indictment charged Bryant with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1147
Justia Opinion Summary: Sandy Mitchell, Jr., was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Byron Brown. On appeal, Mitchell argued his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective for failing…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1182
Justia Opinion Summary: Aaron Howell was convicted by jury of malice murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery in connection with the beating death of Paul Guerrant. Howell argued on appeal that the evidence presented at his trial was…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1203
Justia Opinion Summary: City of Atlanta (“the City”) and the Atlanta Independent School System (“APS”) were involved in a dispute over the City’s annexing property in Fulton County, while it expressly prohibiting the co-expansion of APS’s…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1257
Justia Opinion Summary: Lazarus White was convicted by jury of malice murder and another crime in connection with the 2012 stabbing death of Terry Bell. He appealed, arguing the trial court erred in excluding testimony regarding Bell’s alleged…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19A1299, S19X1300
Justia Opinion Summary: Arheem DeLoach was convicted by jury on two counts of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the deaths of Rashad Biggins and Jamell Law. In Case No. S19A1299, DeLoach contended the trial court erred in…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1330
Justia Opinion Summary: Tony Mitchell was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Randy Lewis. On appeal, Mitchell contended his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance because she failed to…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1424
Justia Opinion Summary: Antiwan Lane was convicted by jury of malice murder and other charges for procuring the murder of Ivan Perez. The trial court granted Lane a new trial based on a host of grounds, including evidentiary errors and…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1503
Justia Opinion Summary: Daniel Thomas was convicted by jury for malice murder in connection with the shooting death of Elliott Mizell. Thomas argued on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; that the trial court…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1520
Justia Opinion Summary: Otheron Walker was convicted by jury of malice murder in connection with the beating death of his ten-month-old daughter, Daijah White. On appeal, Walker contended the evidence was insufficient, that the jury was…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1571
Justia Opinion Summary: Michael Naples was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the death of 17-month-old Kaylee Johnson. Investigation revealed the child died from inoperable brain swelling from either…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1588
Justia Opinion Summary: Antonio Taylor was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes in connection with the stabbing death of Araminta Elly. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred when it admitted certain hearsay testimony and when it…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1637
Justia Opinion Summary: LaParrish London was convicted by jury of the malice murder of Eric Terrell. On appeal, he argued: (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; (2) the trial court erred in denying his motion for new…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0005
Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals reversed Kenneth Williams’ conviction for aggravated sexual battery based on its conclusion that the trial court gave an erroneous charge to the jury concerning an underage victim’s capacity to…
Date: February 10, 2020
Docket Number: S20A0306
Justia Opinion Summary: Sylvester Richardson was convicted by jury of murder and other crimes relating to the fatal shooting of Christopher Wilson. He appealed, claiming that the trial court erred when it denied a motion for a mistrial and when…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1148
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Mary Katherine Smith was convicted of felony murder based on cruelty to children in connection with the death of her two-year-old son Mason “Tucker” Smith. Tucker did not wake following what was described as…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1250
Justia Opinion Summary: Following his conviction for the murder of Barry Bullard, acting pro se, Allen Williams appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial. Williams argued numerous errors, including: (1) the evidence was insufficient to…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1256
Justia Opinion Summary: David Mann Jr. was convicted of malice murder and two counts of first degree cruelty to children in connection with the death of seven-year-old Ethan Martinez. Ethan was Mann’s girlfriend’s son. Mann told first…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1261
Justia Opinion Summary: Jokeera Morgan was convicted by jury of murdering by drowning her two infant daughters. Morgan drowned her daughters in her Chatham County, Georgia home. She immediately called 911 to report what she had done. The…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1266
Justia Opinion Summary: Johnny Allen appealed his felony murder and aggravated assault convictions for killing Robert Patton. On appeal, Allen argued the trial court erred by admitting evidence of events that occurred after the shooting, and by…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1301
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Rashard Mosley appealed his convictions for numerous offenses, including the 2014 murder of Ivory Carter and the attempted murder and attempted armed robbery of Frederick Knight. On appeal, Mosley contended the…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1302
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Kerri Redding was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Christopher Kenyatta. Appellant contended his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by failing to…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19A1345, S19A1346
Justia Opinion Summary: Lloyd Stephens and Demetrius Brewer were convicted after a joint jury trial for the murder of Eric Kemp. Both argued the trial court made multiple evidentiary errors. Additionally, Stephens argued he received ineffective…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1397
Justia Opinion Summary: Clarence McCluskey was convicted of murder and related crimes arising out of the shooting death of his wife, Lisa. He appealed, arguing the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions for cruelty to children in…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1432
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Sylvester Davis, Jr. was convicted of malice murder in connection with the 2011 shooting death of Marquis Wadley. Davis apppealed, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting certain…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1476
Justia Opinion Summary: Sylvester Taylor was convicted by jury for malice murder and criminal attempt to commit rape, amongst other crimes, stemming from the beating death of Linda Madison. This appeal stemmed from an exchange between Taylor…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1492
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, Deonta Rich was convicted of murdering Sylvester Downs and kidnapping Taquoya Rogers. Rich: (1) challenged the sufficiency of the evidence to support his convictions; (2) argued the trial court erred by denying…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1518
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Johnny Rammage was convicted of malice murder and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting death of Chris Johnson. On appeal, he argued the trial court erred: (1) by not allowing him to introduce…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1570
Justia Opinion Summary: Jonathan Jackson was convicted of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of DeAngelo Head. On appeal, Jackson argued only that the evidence was…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1592
Justia Opinion Summary: Tyrecquiss Wells appealed his convictions for felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of David Scott. Wells argued: (1) the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his custodial…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0125
Justia Opinion Summary: A grand jury indicted Keith Williams on 48 counts of sexual exploitation of children after police searched and seized his computer and several disc drives wherein they found the offending images. All counts in the…
Date: January 27, 2020
Docket Number: S19G0394
Justia Opinion Summary: The Georgia Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari in this case to address whether a detainee who had not yet been indicted could seek to bar his prosecution through a plea in bar on the basis that the statute…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1004
Justia Opinion Summary: Dakota White appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes, stemming from the death of Samuel Poss. A juvenile at the time of his crimes, White alleged errors both in the admission of his confession and in…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1005
Justia Opinion Summary: Matthew Doyle was convicted by jury for the murder of Lyndon “Pookie” Tucker, and for the possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On appeal, he contended the evidence was insufficient to support his…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1079
Justia Opinion Summary: In a pending murder case involving multiple defendants, the State appealed an order denying its pretrial motion to admit a witness’s out-of-court statement by reason of necessity because the witness, Harry Dimeco, was…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1151
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Jasento Flowers was convicted by jury of the malice murder of his ex-wife, Bridgette Flowers, by shooting her with a handgun, and of the aggravated assaults of Tearro Moore, Ranoda Hammonds, Jamesia Williams,…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1187
Justia Opinion Summary: Carlton Davis was convicted of felony murder in connection with the death of Lakeitha Sims. On appeal, Davis argued: (1) the trial court erred by admitting a statement he made to a detective that Davis contended he did…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1284
Justia Opinion Summary: In October 2016, a jury found Lerenzo Gaston guilty of felony murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Terrance Walker. Gaston appealed, contending he received ineffective assistance of trial…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1298
Justia Opinion Summary: Frederick Driver was convicted of felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the 2017 shooting death of Randy Diamond. On appeal, Driver contended only that the trial…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1427
Justia Opinion Summary: Jesse Swims was convicted by jury of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of Deborah “Debbie” Leigh Clemenson. Swims appealed, contending that the trial court erred in denying his motion for…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Numbers: S19A1493, S19A1494
Justia Opinion Summary: Louis Floyd, Jr. and Tara Lee Harrell were convicted by jury of murder and other offenses in connection with the death of William Jackson. Floyd argued on appeal that the trial court erred by not granting his motion to…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1551
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Clinton Bankston appealed a trial court’s denial in part and dismissal in part of his pro se motion seeking to vacate his convictions and to withdraw his guilty pleas stemming from the murders of five people.…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1572
Justia Opinion Summary: Ricardo Harris was found guilty by jury of murder and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of Yvonne James. Harris contended on appeal that the trial court erred in admitting his pre-trial…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1573
Justia Opinion Summary: Juan Chavez appealed his convictions for malice murder, participation in criminal street gang activity, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a first-offender…
Date: January 13, 2020
Docket Number: S19A1641
Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Hamlet Perdomo was convicted of the felony murder of Carl Bush, as well as fourteen other crimes committed against five additional victims during a 2010 crime spree. Appellant challenged the evidence presented…
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