Merritt v. Georgia
Annotate this CaseJerry 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 contended his trial counsel was ineffective, and that the trial court erred by failing to give jury instructions on voluntary manslaughter and duty to retreat, and by allowing the prosecutor to ask leading questions. After review, the Georgia Supreme Court concluded any deficient performance by counsel did not prejudice Merritt’s case; any error by the trial court in allowing leading questions was harmless; and that the trial court did not plainly err in refusing to give the requested instructions.
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