Justia Georgia Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Vashon Olds was tried by jury and convicted of the false imprisonment and battery of a woman with whom he previously had a romantic relationship. At trial, the jury heard evidence of these crimes, as well as evidence of two incidents in which Olds had assaulted other women. The prosecution offered the evidence of these other incidents to show criminal intent, among other things, and the trial court admitted it. Olds appealed, arguing that the trial court erred in admitting the "other incident" evidence. The Court of Appeals affirmed, but the Supreme Court reversed, finding that the case law authority relied upon by the appellate court required clarification. In order to give the appellate court opportunity to reconsider in light of that clarification, the Supreme Court remanded for further proceedings. View "Olds v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Shanqulalandali Cheley was tried by jury and convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with the 2012 killing of Amber DeLoach. Following the denial of his motion for new trial, Cheley appealed, contending that: (1) the trial court erred when it denied his motion to suppress statements that he gave to law enforcement officers; (2) when it denied his motion to exclude or redact a trial exhibit; (3) when it limited his cross-examination of two jailhouse informants who testified for the prosecution; and (4) when it failed to rebuke the prosecuting attorney for an allegedly improper closing argument. Finding no error, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed. View "Cheley v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Phirronnius Edwards was tried by jury and convicted of murder and the unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, both in connection with the fatal shooting of Billy Hewitt. Edwards appealed, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his convictions, that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel, and that the trial court mishandled a note from the jury. Upon its review of the record and briefs, the Supreme Court saw no error, and affirmed. View "Edwards v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Desmond Walker-Madden was tried by jury and convicted of murder and aggravated assault, both in connection with the death of Gregory Anderson, Jr., a two-year-old child. Walker-Madden appealed, contending only that the trial court erred when it admitted certain evidence of similar transactions. After review, the Supreme Court found no merit in that contention. However, the Court did find that the trial court erred when it failed to convict and sentence Walker-Madden for two other crimes of which the jury found him guilty. Accordingly, the Court affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded for the trial court to sentence Walker-Madden for cruelty to children in the first degree and aggravated sexual battery. View "Walker-Madden v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Appellant Rebecca Stokes was indicted for malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, tampering with evidence, and removal of body parts from the scene of a death based on her participation in the shooting death of Charlotte Donaldson. Appellant entered a negotiated guilty plea to malice murder, and the State nol prossed the remaining charges. As the State recommended, the trial court sentenced Appellant to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole. She filed a timely motion to withdraw her guilty plea, which she amended with new counsel and raised three claims: (1) her plea counsel provided ineffective assistance by misrepresented when she would be eligible for parole; (2) she was under the influence of prescription medication that prevented her from "thinking straight" at the plea hearing, and thus was unable to make a knowing plea; and (3) she was not informed of her right to remain silent at trial. Finding no reversible error as to any of these issues, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Stokes v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Antonio Jones was tried by jury and found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the shooting death of Akili Stewart. On appeal, Jones contended that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to support his convictions and that the trial court erred with respect to various evidentiary matters. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Jones v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Carlisha Gray was tried by jury and convicted of murder and several other crimes related to the 2006 killing of Marcus Jones. Gray appealed, contending that the trial court erred when it refused to excuse a prospective juror for cause and when it applied an incorrect standard to the general grounds of Gray’s motion for new trial. Finding no error, the Supreme Court affirmed Gray’s convictions. View "Gray v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Ronnie Lewis was tried by jury and found guilty of malice murder, armed robbery, burglary, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault in connection with a home invasion and the beating and shooting death of Ophir Thompson. On appeal, Lewis argued that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress two of his custodial statements to police, and that his trial counsel was ineffective. Finding no error, the Supreme Court affirmed Lewis' convictions. View "Lewis v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Appellant Claron Carter was found guilty of malice murder and other offenses related to the shooting death of Dequavious Reed. His motion for new trial was denied, and he appealed, claiming that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s verdicts. Although it concluded the evidence of appellant’s guilt was sufficient to support the verdicts, the Supreme Court's review of the record revealed an error in the trial court’s sentencing as to certain counts of the indictment. For that reason, the Court vacated appellant's sentences and remanded for resentencing. View "Carter v. Georgia" on Justia Law

In August 2014, a grand jury returned a 21-count indictment against Appellees Malcolm Brown, Demetre Mason, Frankland Henderson, Michael Jenkins, Jaimee Harrell, Katrina Shardow, and Traon Turk, on charges of murder, armed robbery, robbery by force, car-jacking, and numerous violations of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and Georgia RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act. During pre-trial proceedings, the State filed a motion seeking a ruling on the admissibility of a 13-count federal indictment charging unrelated defendants with crimes and racketeering activities in association with a gang operating in Virginia. The State contended that information in the federal indictment was “required” to prove certain essential elements of the alleged violations of Georgia’s street gang act, specifically, the existence of a “criminal street gang” and the commission of “criminal gang activity,” as those terms are defined in the statute. In the alternative, the State contended that the indictment was admissible under OCGA 24-4-404 (b) to prove motive. The trial court denied the State’s motion. The State appealed. Finding no abuse of the trial court's discretion, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed. View "Georgia v. Brown" on Justia Law