Opinion ID: 1346679
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Factual and Procedural Background of This Case

Text: 1. The parties stipulated, for purposes of the motion to dismiss, that Jackson, Smith, and Daniels conspired to commit an armed robbery of someone who the defendants believed was a drug dealer. Daniels approached the intended victim armed with a handgun, with Jackson nearby and Smith waiting in the getaway vehicle. The victim, who was also armed, exchanged gunfire with Daniels, and he ultimately shot and killed Daniels in self-defense. Jackson and Smith were later arrested. The indictment charged the defendants with, among others offenses, felony murder. Tracking the statutory language, Count 1 alleged that both Jackson and Smith did cause the death of Jerold Daniels, a human being, ... while in the commission of a felony, to wit: Aggravated Assault. The indictment charged Smith with two more counts, alleging that he caused Daniels's death while in the commission of the felony of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The defendants moved to dismiss the felony murder charges. They argued that because the victim fired the shot that killed their co-conspirator, they did not directly cause Daniels's death. The trial court, bound by this Court's decision in Crane , granted the motion to dismiss. The State filed this direct appeal under OCGA § 5-7-1(a)(1), asking us to overrule Crane .