Case Name: CARTER v. THE STATE
Court: Supreme Court of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 2009-06-15
Citations: 285 Ga. 565
Docket Number: S09A0228
Parties: CARTER v. THE STATE.
Judges: All the Justices concur, except Sears, C. J., Benham and Hines, JJ., who dissent.
Reporter: Georgia Reports
Volume: 285
Pages: 565–571

Head Matter:
S09A0228.
CARTER v. THE STATE.
(678 SE2d 909)

Opinion:
Melton, Justice.
Following a jury trial, Antawyn Carter appeals his conviction for the felony murder of his brother, Tamitrea Carter. Antawyn contends that his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to pursue the affirmative defense of justification based on the defense of third parties. Because no evidence supported this defense, we affirm.
Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the record shows that, on the evening of August 6, 2006, Tamitrea was arguing with his father, Carey Carter, after the two of them had been drinking together. At that time, Tamitrea was living at home with his parents. At some point, Antawyn was called to come to his parents' home. Antawyn's father, however, told him to go away, and Antawyn and Tamitrea were left outside the house. Neighbors then witnessed the brothers arguing in the street, and Antawyn threatened Tami-trea, "I'll take you out." Antawyn then hit Tamitrea, knocking him to the ground. Tamitrea next got up and began running away from Antawyn towards a stop sign at the end of the street. Antawyn shot Tamitrea as he ran away, hitting him in the back of the head and killing him. Tamitrea's body was discovered in a ditch by the street with a knife laying on the ground nearby. Antawyn later admitted that he shot Tamitrea, but he claimed that it was an accident.
1. This evidence was sufficient to enable the jury to find that Antawyn was guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U. S. 307 (99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560) (1979).
2. Antawyn contends that his trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to pursue the affirmative defense of justification based on the defense of a third party. More specifically, Antawyn contends that his trial counsel should have pursued a defense that he shot Tamitrea in order to protect his father, based on a previous threat made by Tamitrea.
To prove ineffective assistance, [Antawyn] must prove both that his trial counsel's performance was deficient and that there is a reasonable probability that the trial result would have been different if not for the deficient performance. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U. S. 668 (104 SC 2052, 80 LE2d 674) (1984). If an appellant fails to prove one prong of the Strickland test, the reviewing court does not have to examine the other prong. Id. at 697 (IV). See also Fuller v. State, 277 Ga. 505 (3) (591 SE2d 782) (2004).
McDougal v. State, 284 Ga. 427, 428 (2) (667 SE2d 592) (2008).
Based on the facts of this case, Antawyn was not prejudiced by his trial counsel's failure to pursue the affirmative defense of justification. OCGA § 16-3-21 (a) provides: "A person is justified in threatening or using force against another when and to the extent that he or she reasonably believes that such threat or force is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person against such other's imminent use of unlawful force." (Emphasis supplied.) Furthermore, "[t]he doctrine of reasonable fear does not apply to any case of homicide where the danger apprehended is not urgent and pressing, or apparently so, at the time of the killing." Short v. State, 140 Ga. 780 (3) (80 SE 8) (1913).
In this case, it is undisputed that, at the time that Antawyn shot Tamitrea, both men had fought in the street outside their father's home, their father was inside the home and not with them, and Tamitrea was running away from Antawyn who had pulled out his pistol. There is some evidence from which it could be inferred that Tamitrea was carrying a knife, but there is no evidence that Tamitrea was trying to go to his father's house when he was shot, only that Tamitrea was running away from Antawyn towards a stop sign located at the end of the street. In any event, it is undisputed that Carey Carter was inside his home at the time of the shooting and that, even if we assume that Tamitrea was going towards the house, he was shot before he even reached the front yard. These facts do not support any finding that Carey Carter was in imminent danger from Tamitrea at the time of the shooting. Brown v. State, 270 Ga. 601, 603 (2) (512 SE2d 260) (1999) ("because the [third person] was not even present at the time of the shooting, there was no evidence that [the third person] was in any immediate danger from [the defendant]"). The fact that Tamitrea may have made a threat against his father earlier in the evening does not change this result. Chameckia Sturghill, Antawyn's cousin, testified at the motion for new trial hearing in relation to the ineffective assistance of counsel claim; however, her testimony, the sole evidence of the threat, indicated that the threat occurred at least thirty minutes before the murder occurred.
Because, as a matter of law, the facts of this case do not support a justification defense based on the defense of third persons or the giving of a jury instruction in that regard, it cannot be said that "there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceedings would have been different, but for counsel's [failure to pursue such a defense or request such an instruction]." Brogdon v. State, 255 Ga. 64, 68 (3) (335 SE2d 383) (1985).
Judgment affirmed.
All the Justices concur, except Sears, C. J., Benham and Hines, JJ., who dissent.
On August 31, 2006, Antawyn was indicted in Hart County for malice murder, felony murder while in the commission of an aggravated assault, and aggravated assault. Following a jury trial ending on August 2, 2007, Antawyn was convicted for felony murder and aggravated assault, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the malice murder charge. On August 3, 2007, Carter was sentenced to life imprisonment for felony murder. The conviction for aggravated assault was merged with the conviction for felony murder for purposes of sentencing, and the trial court declared a mistrial with regard to the malice murder charge. Antawyn's motion for new trial which was filed on August 10, 2007, and amended on August 14, 2007, was denied on September 17, 2008. This appeal was then docketed in this Court on October 21, 2008, and orally argued on February 23, 2009.