In th e S u p re m e Co u rt o f Ge o rg ia

De c id e d: Ap ril 2 6 , 2 0 16

S 1 6 A0 6 7 3. CARTER v

. THE S TATE.

THOMP S O N, Ch ie f Ju stic e

.

A p p e l la n t Cla ro n Ca rte r wa s fo u n d g uilty of m a lic e m u rd e r a n d o th e r

o ffe n se s re la te d to th e sh o o tin g d e a th o f D e q u a v io us Re e d

. 1 His m o tio n fo r n e w

tria l wa s d e n ie d

, a nd he a p p e a ls, c la im in g th a t th e e v id e n c e w a s in su ffic ie n t to

su p p o rt th e ju ry ’s v e rd ic ts. Alth o u g h w e c o n c lu d e th e e v id e n c e o f a pp e lla n t’s

g u ilt wa s su ffic ie n t to su p p o rt th e v e rd ic ts, o ur re v ie w o f th e re c o rd re v e a ls a n

e rro r in th e tria l c o u rt’s se n te n c in g a s t o c e rta in c o u n ts o f th e in dic tm e n t. F o r

1 The crim es o ccurred o n J uly 11, 2013. Appellant w as indicted b y a Cof f e e County

grand jury on Novem

ber 6, 2013, on charges of m alice m u rder, f e lony m urder predicated on

burglary

, f

elony m urder predicated on arm e d robbery

, arm ed r obbe r y

, and burglary

. Following a jury trial f

rom March 23-25, 2015, appellant was f ound g uilty on all counts. The

trial court sentenced appellant on March 25, 2015, t o lif e in p rison without the possibility of

parole on the m a lice m

urder count. The trial court im posed no sentences on the rem aining

charges based on its det e rm ination that the f e lony m urder counts m erged into the m alice

m urder conviction and the independent f elonies of arm ed r obbery and b urglary m erged into

their respective f

elony m u rder charges. But s ee Malcolm v. State, 263 Ga. 369, 371-374 (434

SE2d 479) ( 1993). Appellant’s m otion f or new trial, f

iled on April 1, 2015, was denied by

the t r i a l court on August 7, 2 0 15. He f i led a notice of appeal on August 1 2, 2015, and his

appeal was docketed in this C o u r t

, a s signed to the April 2016 term

, and subm itted f or

decision on the brief

s.t h i s re a so n

, we v a c a te a p p e lla n t’s se n te n c e s a n d re m an d to th e tria l c o u r t f o r

re se n te n c in g

.

1

. Th e e v id e n c e p re se n te d a t tria l a uth o riz e d th e ju ry to fin d th a t a p p e lla n t

a n d two o f h i s bro th e rs we nt to th e v ic tim ’s a p a rtm e n t un de r th e gu ise o f

p u rc ha sin g d ru g s b u t in ste a d p la n n e d to ro b th e v i ct i m. On c e in sid e th e

a p a rtm e nt, a

p p e l l a n t fa ta lly sh o t th e v ic tim in th e n e c k a nd c h e st an d

, a fte r

riflin g th ro u gh th e v ic tim ’s p o c k e ts, sto le m a riju a n a a n d se v e ra l h u n dre d d o lla rs

fro m h im

. Th e v ic tim wa s d isc o v e re d ly in g o n h is b a c k with h is arm s o v e r h is

h e a d

. His p a nts w e re p u lle d d o wn a n d h is sh irt wa s pu lle d up to h is n e c k

. Th e

S ta te p re se n te d e v id e n c e sh o win g th a t a p p e lla n t a d m itte d to a frie nd

, Ja y v ia s

Lo tt, in a re c ord e d c o n v e rsa tio n

, th a t h e sh o t th e v ic tim twic e in th e c h e st,

p a rtia lly b e c a

u se o n e b ro th e r sa id a

p p e lla nt w a s to o sc a re d to d o it. Ap p e lla n t,

in th e sa m e c on v e rsa tio n, c o m p la in e d a b ou t h a v in g k ille d a m a n a n d g e ttin g

o n l y “ $ 2 0 0 a n d a c o u p le of sa c k s [o f m ariju a n a ] .” Ap p e lla n t a d m itte d a t t r i a l

th a t h e sh o t th e v ic tim

b u t c la im e d h e d id so in se lf-d e fe n se

.

Co n stru e d in th e lig h t m o st fa v o ra b le to th e ve rd ic ts, w e fin d th e e v id e n c e

wa s su ffic ie n t to e n a

b le a ra tio n a l trie r o f fa c t to fin d a p p e lla n t g u ilty b e y o n d a

re a so na b le d o u bt o f th e c rim e s fo r wh ic h h e wa s c h arg e d

. Ja c k so n v. Virg in ia

,

24 4 3 U. S

. 3 0 7 (9 9 S Ct 2 7 8 1

, 6 1 LE2 d 5 60 ) (1 9 7 9 ). Th e Sta te p re se n te d

e v id e n c e e sta b lish in g th a t a p p e lla n t fa ta lly sh o t th e v ic t i m d urin g a d ru g

tra n sa c tio n a n d sto le m o n e y a n d d ru g s fro m th e v ic tim

. Th e ju ry wa s fre e to

we ig h a p p e lla n t’s c re d ib ility

, a s it did th e c re d ib ility o f o th e r witn e sse s, a n d wa s

fre e to re je c t h is c la im th a t h e sh o t th e v ic tim in se lf-d e fe n se

. S e e Ho ffle r v

.

S ta te

, 2 92 Ga

. 5 3 7 ( 1 ) (7 39 S E2 d 3 62 ) (2 0 1 3 ). Lik e wise

, a lth o ug h a p p e lla n t

c o n te n d s Lo tt’s te stim o n y wa s n o t wo rth y o f b e lie f b e c a u se h e is a “p ro fe ssio n a l

c rim in a l,” it wa s fo r th e ju ry to a sse ss th e c re d ib ility o f Lo tt’s te stim on y a n d to

re so lv e a n y e vid e n tia ry c o n flic ts. S e e Ha m p to n v

. Sta te

, 27 2 Ga

. 2 8 4 (1 ) (5 2 7

S E2 d 8 72 ) (2 0 0 0 ).

2

. Wh ile we fin d n o m e rit in a p pe lla n t’s e n um e ra te d e rro r, o u r re v ie w o f

th e re c o rd e sta

b lish e s th a t th e tria l c o u rt e rre d in its se n te n c in g o f a p pe lla n t. A s

sta te d, a p p e lla n t wa s fo u n d g u ilty o f m a lic e m u rd e r (Co u n t 1 ), fe lo ny m u rd e r

p re d ic a te d o n th e u n d e rly in g fe lo n y o f b u rg la ry (Co u n t 2 ), fe lo n y m u rd e r

p re d ic a te d o n th e u n d e rly in g fe lo n y o f a rm e d ro b be ry (Co u n t 3 ), a rm e d ro b b e ry

(Co un t 4 ), a n d b u rg la ry (Co u n t 5 ). Du rin g se n te nc in g

, th e tria l c o u rt p u rp o rte d

to m e rg e th e two fe lo ny m u rd e r c o u n t s i n t o t he m a lic e m urd e r c o u n t a n d to

m e rg e th e two in de p e n d e n t fe lo n y c ou n ts in to th e two “ m e rg e d ” fe lo n y m u rd e r

3c o u n ts. Th e fe lo n y m u rd e r c o u n ts, h o we v e r, d id n o t m e rg e with th e m a lic e

m u rd e r c o u nt b u t we re v a c a te d b y o p e ra tio n o f la w, se e Ma lc olm v

. S ta te

, 2 6 3

Ga

. 36 9 ( 5 ) (4 3 4 S E2 d 4 7 9 ) (1 9 9 3 ), le a v in g

, a s a m a tte r o f la w

, n o fe lo n y

m u rd e r c o u n ts in to wh ic h th e a rm e d ro b b e ry a n d b urg la ry c o u n ts c o u ld m e rg e

.

S e e id

. a t 3 7 3 ; Mills v

. S ta te

, 2 8 7 G a. 8 2 8

, 8 2 8

, n. 1 (7 0 0 S E 2 d 5 44 ) (2 0 1 0 ).

Ac c o rd in g ly

, we v a c a te th a t p a rt o f th e tria l c o u rt’s se n te nc in g o rd e r in wh ic h

it “ m e rg e d ” c o u n ts 2 a

n d 3 in to c o u n t 1 a n d c o u n ts 4 a nd 5 in to c o u n ts 2 a n d 3

re sp e c tiv e ly

. Be c a

u se th e e vid e n c e wa s su ffic ie n t to c on v ic t a p p e lla n t o f c o u n t

1

, m a lic e m

u rd e r, we c o n c lu d e th a t (1 ) th e tria l c o urt pro p e rly se n te n c e d h im o n

th a t c o u n t; (2 ) th e se n te n c e s o n c o u n ts 2 a n d 3 w e re va c a te d b y o p e ra tio n o f la w,

se e Ma lc o lm

, 2 6 3 Ga

. a t 3 7 1 -3 7 2 ; a n d (3 ) n o se n te n c e h a s y e t b e e n im po se d o n

h is c on v ic tio n s fo r th e c h a rg e s o f a rm e d ro bb e ry a n d b u rg la ry

. Ac c o rd in g ly

, th e

c a se is re m a n d e d to th e tria l c o u rt fo r im p o sitio n o f p ro p e r se n te n c e s o n th ose

c o u n ts. S e e Hu le tt v

. S ta te

, 2 9 6 Ga . 4 9

, 5 6 (2 ) (d ) (7 6 6 S E2 d 1 ) (2 0 1 4 ).

Ju d g m e n t a ffirm e d in p a rt a n d v a c a te d in pa rt, a n d c a se re m a n d e d

. All th e

Ju stic e s c o n c ur.

4