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Woodsv.The State

CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
Docket No.S21A0862
DecidedAugust 24, 2021
Reporter312 Ga. 405
JudgesSupreme Court of Georgia
Tags
CriminalCriminal LawMurder & MayhemIneffective Assistance of CounselDue ProcessTales From the CryptPost-Conviction ReliefRemand
Case Summary

Alexander Woods was convicted of five murders arising from the 2004 killings of four members of a family and their housekeeper. He raised nine claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel, including claims concerning documents the State allegedly withheld. The Supreme Court of Georgia vacated the trial court’s denial of Woods’s motion for a new trial and remanded for factual findings in the first instance. The trial court must determine whether the State suppressed the documents under Brady or Giglio, whether counsel performed deficiently under Strickland, and whether any deficiency caused prejudice. The Court expressly declined to prejudge the merits of those issues.

Opinion

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