Justia Criminal Law Opinion Summaries

Following a jury trial, Defendant-Appellant Denzel Laquan Ward appealed his conviction for malice murder, felony murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, contending that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance and that the trial court gave an erroneous jury instruction regarding the credibility of a testifying defendant. Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction, except for the separate judgment of conviction and sentence for felony murder. The Court concluded that since there was a single victim, Defendant could not be convicted and sentenced for malice and felony murder. View "Ward v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Defendant-Appellant Anthony Terrell Smith appealed his convictions and sentences for malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon at a public gathering, which were in connection with the shooting death of Romondez Lashan Lester. Defendant raised numerous issues of error by the trial court on appeal to the Supreme Court. But finding no error, the Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions. View "Smith v. Georgia" on Justia Law

In "Smith v. Georgia," (663 SE2d 155 (2008)), the Supreme Court reversed Appellant Tavaris Smith's murder conviction, finding that the trial court had erred in classifying Appellant's sleepwalking defense as an insanity defense. Following retrial, Appellant was again convicted of malice murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Appellant challenged his second conviction on grounds of insufficiency of the evidence, trial counsel ineffectiveness, evidentiary errors and problems with the jury's instructions. Finding no error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Smith v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Defendant-Appellant Christopher Slaughter was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Aikeem Hall. He appealed, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to admit evidence of the victim's prior violent acts and of provocation and that the trial court erred in finding Appellant competent to stand trial. Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's judgment except for Appellant's sentence for aggravated assault for shooting Hall in the leg, which was vacated because the conviction for that offense merged with his murder conviction. View "Slaughter v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Defendant-Appellant Ashley Schutt was convicted of malice murder and other crimes in connection with the death of her husband. She appealed, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support her conviction for aggravated assault, that her conviction for aggravated assault should have merged with her murder conviction, that she received ineffective assistance of counsel, and that the trial court erred in failing to suppress her pretrial statements to the police. Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's except for Defendant's sentence for aggravated assault, which was vacated because the Court agreed that the conviction for that offense merged with her murder conviction. View "Schutt v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Defendant-Appellant Charlott Lynett Reaves was convicted of the murder of her stepdaughter after a bench trial. Defendant appealed, contending only that the trial court erred when it denied in part her motion to suppress certain statements that she made to a law enforcement officer. Seeing no error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Reaves v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Defendant-Appellant Kelcey E. Jones was tried by jury and convicted of the murder of his four-year-old son, and for cruelty to a child in the first degree. Defendant appealed, contending that the trial court erred when it denied his motion to suppress certain statements that he made to law enforcement officers, that he was denied a fair trial by the late production of an audio recording, that the trial court erred when it excluded certain testimony and evidence, that the testimony of a witness for the State was improperly bolstered at trial, and that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. Upon review of the record and briefs, the Supreme Court concluded that the trial court erred at sentencing when it failed to merge the cruelty to a child with the murder, and therefore vacated the conviction and sentence for cruelty to a child in the first degree. The Court found no other error and otherwise affirmed the trial court's judgment. View "Jones v. Georgia" on Justia Law

A jury convicted Defendant-Appellant Tyrell Campbell of malice murder and other felonies in connection with the shooting death of Gary Paul Francis. On appeal to the Supreme Court, he contended that the trial court erred in its jury instructions and in conducting critical stages of the trial outside his presence. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Campbell v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Defendant-Appellant Tobee Bradley was tried by jury and convicted of murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He appealed, contending that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his convictions and that several of the crimes of which he was convicted should have merged. Defendant also claimed that the trial court erred when it excluded evidence that others might have been involved in the crimes, when it allowed an audio recording of a conversation between Defendant and a police informant to go out with the jury during its deliberations, and when it admitted the prior consistent statements of the police informant. Furthermore, Defendant contended that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel at trial. Upon review of the record and briefs, the Supreme Court concluded that the trial court erred with respect to merger, and for that reason, the Court vacated the convictions and sentences for aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Otherwise, the Court found no other error. View "Bradley v. Georgia" on Justia Law

Robert Hoffler was convicted for malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony relating to the fatal shooting of Quincy Dunlap. On appeal to the Supreme Court, he appealed the denial of his motion for a new trial, challenged the evidence presented at trial used to convict him, the method of impeachment of a defense witness, testimony about the contents of a witness' prior statement, the absence of a jury instruction, and the effectiveness of his trial counsel. Finding Hoffler's challenges to be without merit, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "Hoffler v. Georgia" on Justia Law