Opinion ID: 1099668
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether the verdict of guilty is supported sufficiently by the defendant's confession alone.

Text: ¶ 12. Contrary to Hodge's contentions, the guilty verdict rendered by the jury was not supported solely by his confession. We are mindful that a defendant's confession that is not corroborated by independent evidence of the corpus delicti is insufficient to support a felony conviction. Cotton v. State, 675 So.2d 308, 314 (Miss.1996); Bullock v. State, 447 So.2d 1284, 1286 (Miss.1984); Steward v. State, 32 So.2d 791, 791 (Miss.1947); Pope v. State, 158 Miss. 794, 131 So. 264, 265 (1930). However, other evidence adduced at trial supports the guilty verdict. ¶ 13. First of all, Hodge led authorities to the location of a .380 Lorcin when asked for the weapon that was used to murder Anthony Thomas. Dr. Haynes removed a large caliber copper jacketed bullet from Thomas's body that was later matched by firearms examiner Starks Hathcock to the very .380 Lorcin to which Hodge led authorities. Hathcock also testified that the three shell casings found at the scene were fired from the .380 Lorcin. This evidence when combined with Hodge's confession sufficiently establishes the corpus delicti and justifies the jury's guilty verdict. Hodge's assignment of error is without merit.