Williams v. Georgia

Joseph Williams was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the 2013 shooting death of Adiren Thompson. Williams appealed, arguing the trial court erred in: (1) denying his motion to shuffle the jury pool; (2) excluding evidence supporting his claim of self-defense; (3) denying his motion for a mistrial when the State questioned him about allegations of jury tampering by a third party; and (4) failing to charge the jury on involuntary manslaughter. Williams also argues his trial counsel was ineffective. After review, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed because the court was not required to shuffle the jury pool, any error in excluding the evidence in support of Williams’s self-defense claim was harmless, the court’s instruction to the jury cured the prejudicial effect of any improper questioning, the evidence did not support a jury charge on involuntary manslaughter, and Williams failed to show that trial counsel was ineffective. View "Williams v. Georgia" on Justia Law