STEWART v. STATE

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Docket Number

S94A0430.

Attorney(S)

Kimberly A. Dymecki, for appellant. Lewis R. Slaton, District Attorney, Rebecca A. Keel, Assistant District Attorney, Michael J. Bowers, Attorney General, Susan V. Boleyn, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Rachelle L. Strausner, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.

Judges

HUNT, Chief Justice.

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Smart Summary

Factual and Procedural Background

Paul Stewart killed Catina Sims by strangling her to death on September 25, 1991. He was indicted by the Fulton County Grand Jury on November 15, 1991. Following a jury trial held from April 20 to April 22, 1992, Stewart was convicted of malice and felony murder. The trial court merged the two convictions and sentenced Stewart to life imprisonment. The court reporter certified the record on July 27, 1992. Stewart filed a motion for new trial on May 21, 1992, which was amended on January 22, 1993, but it was denied on October 25, 1993. Stewart filed a timely notice of appeal, docketed in the Supreme Court of Georgia on December 22, 1993, and the case was submitted for decision without oral argument on February 8, 1994.

Legal Issues Presented

Whether the evidence presented at trial was sufficient for a rational trier of fact to find Paul Stewart guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of malice and felony murder.
Whether any errors occurred during the trial that would require reversal of the conviction.

Arguments of the Parties

The opinion does not contain a detailed account of the parties' legal arguments.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent	Rule or Principle Cited For	Application by the Court
Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979)	Standard for sufficiency of evidence to support a criminal conviction: whether any rational trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.	The court applied this standard to conclude the evidence was sufficient to support Stewart's convictions of malice and felony murder.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court reviewed the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury's verdict and found that a rational trier of fact could have found Stewart guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, applying the standard established in Jackson v. Virginia. The court also examined the defendant's other enumerations of error and found no reversible error. Based on this analysis, the court affirmed the conviction and sentence.

Holding and Implications

Judgment affirmed.

The court's decision upholds Paul Stewart's convictions for malice and felony murder and his life sentence. This affirms the trial court's rulings and does not establish new precedent beyond the application of existing standards for sufficiency of evidence and procedural correctness. The direct effect is the final affirmation of Stewart's conviction and sentence.

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STEWART v. THE STATE.

HUNT, Chief Justice.

Paul Stewart killed Catina Sims by strangling her to death. He was convicted of malice and felony murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He appeals and we affirm.

Stewart killed the victim on September 25, 1991. He was indicted by the Fulton County Grand Jury on November 15, 1991. Following a jury trial, April 20, 1992-April 22, 1992, Stewart was convicted of malice and felony murder. The trial court merged the two convictions, and sentenced Stewart to life imprisonment. The court reporter certified the record on July 27, 1992. Stewart's motion for new trial, filed May 21, 1992, and amended January 22, 1993, was denied in an order filed October 25, 1993. Stewart filed a timely notice of appeal, and his appeal was docketed in this court on December 22, 1993. It was submitted for decision without oral argument on February 8, 1994.

1. Having reviewed the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury's determination, we conclude that a rational trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 ( 99 S.C. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560) (1979).

2. We find no error requiring reversal in the defendant's remaining enumerations.

Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur.