Samuel Earl McCullum was convicted of the 1998 rape and murder of Monica Blackwell and the 1999 rape of another victim. He argued that the evidence did not prove that he caused Blackwell’s death or raped her, and he challenged the admission of evidence concerning the other rape and the refusal to sever the charges. The Supreme Court of Georgia held that the evidence, including the circumstances in which Blackwell was found and DNA evidence linking McCullum to her, was sufficient for the jury to reject his alternative explanations and find the charged offenses proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The Court also held that the evidence of the other rape was admissible for a relevant purpose and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to sever the counts. The Court affirmed the judgment. Three justices dissented in part, concluding that the evidence was constitutionally insufficient on the malice-murder count and that the resulting felony-murder and rape dispositions required further sentencing analysis.