Court Opinion

ID: 9605265
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:32:31.87045+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:26.822801
License: Public Domain

Jordan, Justice,
dissenting.
In my opinion the conviction of robbery was a lesser included offense of murder under the facts of this case and that conviction should be set aside.
Whether robbery is a lesser included offense in the crime of malice murder depends on the facts of the case.
In Barrow v. State, 235 Ga. 635, 637 (221 SE2d 416) (1975); Dobbs v. State, 236 Ga. 427, 433 (224 SE2d 3) (1976); and Fleming v. State, 236 Ga. 434, 435 (224 SE2d 15) (1976); in which this court held that robbery was not a lesser included offense of the offense of malice murder, the appellant was the person shooting the victim. In Duhart v. State, 237 Ga. 426 (228 SE2d 822) (1976); and Hawes v. State, 239 Ga. 630 (238 SE2d 418) (1977); the murder and *765robbery were separate crimes under the facts of those cases.
Where the accused did not do the actual killing, and his conviction of malice murder is supported only by his participation in a robbery, proof of the robbery is essential to support his conviction of malice murder, and this court has held that the robbery is an included offense. Burke v. State, 234 Ga. 512, 515 (3) (216 SE2d 812) (1975); Tarpkin v. State, 236 Ga. 67, 70 (5) (222 SE2d 364) (1976).
There was no evidence to contradict the appellant’s statement to the detective that he did not strike or beat the victim and the jury had no other evidence upon which to base a finding that the appellant was the actual perpetrator of the crime.
I respectfully dissent.