The Atlanta Gleaner.

Legal News

Edited By George Washington

(Testing in progress)

George Washington Statue at Federal Hall

Robinsonv.The State

CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
Docket No.S20A0812
DecidedSeptember 8, 2020
JudgesSupreme Court of Georgia
Tags
CriminalCriminal LawCriminal ProcedureMurder & MayhemTales From the CryptSufficiency of the EvidenceEvidenceSentencingVacatur
Case Summary

James Robinson was convicted of felony murder and related offenses involving the death of four-year-old Lalia Hawthorne and injuries to her younger sister. He challenged the sufficiency of the evidence and expert testimony about bite marks and the intentional nature of the injuries. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part. The court held that the medical testimony was admissible because it described whether the injuries were accidental or intentional without offering an impermissible opinion that Robinson was the perpetrator. The court otherwise rejected Robinson’s claims but corrected a sentencing error involving related offenses. The affected conviction and sentence were vacated, while the murder judgment and remaining convictions were affirmed.

Opinion

Loading published copy…

The Far Side