Georgia Supreme Court upholds felony murder conviction of student

A college student who tracked down a man over a disputed cell phone sale app transaction and shot him to death in a fast-food parking lot has lost his appeal before the Supreme Court of Georgia, according to Justia Law.

Defendant Shot Victim After Chasing Him Through Parking Lot

Surveillance footage and witness testimony established that after the victim allegedly took the phone without paying, the defendant searched for him and chased him through a fast-food restaurant parking lot and an adjacent pharmacy area.

The defendant ultimately shot the victim from a distance, inflicting a single fatal gunshot wound to his back. Investigators recovered no firearm on or near the victim.

Trial and Self-Defense Claims in Fulton County

Following the shooting, the defendant turned himself in to law enforcement and maintained that he acted in self-defense, testifying at trial that the victim had fired at him first. The Superior Court of Fulton County presided over a jury trial where the defendant faced multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Verdict and Sentencing After New Trial Denial

The Fulton County jury acquitted the defendant of malice murder but convicted him of felony murder, aggravated assault, and the firearm charge. The trial court merged the aggravated assault conviction into the felony murder count and sentenced the defendant to life in prison, adding a suspended term for the firearm offense. A motion for a new trial was subsequently filed and denied following a formal hearing.

State High Court Rules on Mistrial and Jail Calls

On review, the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the lower court’s rulings across the board. The state’s highest court determined that the trial judge did not abuse judicial discretion in denying two separate motions for a mistrial. Those defense motions challenged a prosecutor’s reference to the Georgia Crime Information Center during opening statements and specific remarks made during the State’s closing argument.

The Supreme Court also upheld the admission of two recorded jail calls introduced as impeachment evidence. The justices ruled that the probative value of the recordings was not substantially outweighed by any unfair prejudice under evidentiary Rule 403, cementing the convictions and leaving the trial court’s decisions intact.