Court Opinion

ID: 9599792
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:21:32.394886+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:02:22.474314
License: Public Domain

Benham, Chief Justice,
concurring.
While I concur fully in all that is said in the majority opinion, I write separately because I believe it is important to the edification of the bench and bar to note that the trial court’s judgment is incomplete. As noted in footnote 1 of the majority opinion, the trial court merged the firearm possession charge which was the predicate felony for one of the felony murder counts into the malice murder conviction. Thus, Bowden was sentenced for only one of the firearm possession charges. In Malcolm v. State, 263 Ga. 369 (5) (434 SE2d 479) (1993), this Court held that a conviction for a felony upon which a felony murder conviction is based does not merge into the felony murder conviction when the felony murder conviction is vacated on account of conviction of malice murder. Instead, we held in Malcolm, the proper consideration under those circumstances is whether the underlying felony is included as a matter of fact in malice murder. The trial court apparently undertook that analysis, but was incorrect in its conclusion that the firearm possession charge merged into the malice murder charge. The evidence adduced at trial showed that Bowden was still in possession, at the time of his arrest, of the firearm used in the murder. Thus, as was the case in Malcolm, the firearm possession count for which Bowden was not sentenced was not included as a matter of fact in the malice murder count, and Bowden *22should have been sentenced for both counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Decided September 21, 1998 —
Reconsideration denied October 23,1998.
Emmett J. Arnold TV, for appellant.
Robert E. Keller, District Attorney, David B. Hornsby, Verda Andrews-Stroud, Assistant District Attorneys, Thurbert E. Baker, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Jayson Phillips, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.
I am authorized to state that Justice Hunstein and Justice Carley join in this concurrence.