Justia Georgia Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

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 drugs. Turner testified in his own defense at trial and claimed that King hit him in the head with a beer bottle because Turner owed money to King from a prior drug transaction. Turner testified that he tried to get away from King, but that King chased him down and grabbed his jacket. According to Turner, King was getting ready to hit him again when Turner stabbed King in self-defense. Appealing his ultimate conviction, Turner contended he was denied the effective assistance of counsel in three respects. Seeing no reversible error after a review of the trial court record, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Turner's conviction. View "Turner v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 erred in restricting voir dire as to the religious beliefs and connections of potential jurors, that the trial court erred by giving a confusing jury charge regarding statements of co-conspirators, that the trial court erred by violating his right to a public trial by ordering that the courtroom doors be closed and locked during the court’s charge to the jury, and that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by not objecting to the closure of the courtroom. Finding no error, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed. View "Morris v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 extended-stay hotel. Kelvin Spencer was a close friend of both Williams and Robinson. When Spencer met Williams at the hotel room, Williams looked angry and had scratches on his neck. Spencer saw Robinson lying on the floor in a “praying position.” Spencer did not believe Robinson was dead, and he helped Williams move clothes and other things to a U-Haul truck parked outside, in preparation for a move. Williams did not testify or present any evidence. Based on his lawyer’s opening and closing arguments, the defense theory was that Spencer killed Robinson because he was jealous of Williams’s relationship with Robinson. Williams’s sole claim on appeal was that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel when his trial lawyer failed to present as a defense that Williams accidentally killed Robinson during consensual erotic asphyxiation. He argued that his lawyer's discomfort with the topic of homosexual BDSM activity, and his own problems with the Georgia State Bar, precluded presentation of the "true" version of events, and that Williams acceded to the lawyer's defense strategy only "through ignorance and that he did not know that a defense based on consensual erotic asphyxiation was available." Finding no reversible error, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed conviction. View "Williams v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 stabbed near the Five Points MARTS station shortly after midnight. Appellant’s only argument on appeal was that the trial court plainly erred when it gave the jury the State’s requested instruction on “revenge for a prior wrong.” Seeing no error, "much less plain error," the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed. View "Collins v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 present evidence at trial to corroborate Sullivan’s testimony about prior difficulties between Sullivan and Benton, and by failing to procure expert testimony about Sullivan’s mental health—specifically about post-traumatic stress disorder— to be presented to the jury. The Georgia Supreme Court determined Sullivan failed to establish that his trial counsel was deficient in either respect, and therefore affirmed his convictions. View "Sullivan v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 a history of verbal and physical abuse, false accusations of sexual assault, empty threats to obtain temporary protective orders, and numerous calls to 911. In the days leading up to Carter’s death, the pair was talking and meeting again despite a recent break-up. On one such 911 call, officers went to Rickman's residence responding to claims shots were fired. Rickman responded holding her small dog, hair wet, and in pajamas. She did not appear to be injured, and nothing in the home looked disturbed or out of place. Rickman told the officers, “he raped me again and I shot him.” Officers found Carter laying face up on the bed naked with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. An autopsy revealed that Carter was shot ten times – four times in the chest, three times in the back, once on the arm, and twice in the head. Rickman’s examining physician testified that he found no injuries on Rickman consistent with her description of events, and no signs of trauma to her vaginal cavity. Rickman appealed her convictions, arguing she was denied effective assistance of counsel and that the trial court erred in admitting improper character evidence. Finding no reversible error, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed. View "Rickman v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 ineffective assistance of counsel, the trial court’s rulings on motions before and during trial, several evidentiary rulings, and alleged bias on the part of the trial judge. However, finding no reversible error, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Keller's convictions. View "Keller v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 ineffective by failing to object to the trial court’s omission of certain language trial counsel had requested for the jury charge on defendant’s good character. Because Martin has failed to establish that his trial counsel was deficient in not objecting to the omission of the requested language, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, but vacated in part to correct a sentencing error. The trial court sentenced Martin to concurrent life sentences on all four felony murder convictions. But because there were only two murders, it was error for the trial court to sentence Martin on four murder counts. View "Martin v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 by ruling that the improper admission at his trial of statements that investigators elicited from him after he invoked his right to remain silent was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The Georgia Supreme Court disagreed and affirmed Ensslin's convictions. View "Ensslin v. Georgia" on Justia Law

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 convicted felon, in connection with the shooting death of Tony Butler and an assault on Levar Andrews.Hall challenged the sufficiency of the evidence as to each offense of which he was convicted. Finding no reversible error, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Hall's convictions. View "Hall v. Georgia" on Justia Law