Robinson v. Georgia
Annotate this CaseJames 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 hospital, doctors initially suspected that Lalia had been infected with meningococcemia. The medical examiner, who found extensive bruising on Lalia’s body, determined that the actual cause of her death was blunt force injury to the abdomen. At trial, the medical examiner testified that internal lacerations can cause a child to appear ill and lethargic and can lead to nausea, vomiting, and a fatal loss in blood pressure. On appeal, Robinson contended the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions. He also argued the trial court erred in admitting evidence that he committed a prior act of violence upon Summer Sanchez, his then-girlfriend and the mother of the two victims, and by allowing an expert witness to testify to an ultimate issue in the case. After review, the Georgia Supreme Court vacated Robinson’s conviction for Count 9, one of his convictions for cruelty to children in the first degree upon N. H., to correct a sentencing error, but the Court otherwise affirmed.
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