316 Ga. 452 FINAL COPY
S23A0281. COPELAND v. THE STATE.
PINSON, Justice.
Matthew Copeland was convicted of felony murder and related
crimes in connection with the shooting death of Carlos Glenn.1 On
1 The shooting occurred on December 11, 2012. In March 2013, Copeland
was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury for malice murder (Count 1); two counts of felony murder (Counts 2 and 3), predicated respectively on the crimes charged in Count 4 (aggravated assault) and Count 5 (possession of a firearm by a convicted felon); and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (Count 6). At the conclusion of a jury trial held in September 2013, Copeland was acquitted of malice murder but found guilty on all remaining counts. On September 23, 2013, Copeland was sentenced to serve life in prison for Count 2, plus a consecutive five-year term for Count 6. The trial court merged Count 4 into Count 2 for sentencing purposes. Although the court also purported to merge Count 3 into Count 2 and then purported to merge the predicate felony charged in Count 5 into Count 3, Count 3 actually stood vacated by operation of law, see Noel v. State, 297 Ga. 698, 700 (2) (777 SE2d 449) (2015) (citing Malcolm v. State, 263 Ga. 369, 372 (4) (434 SE2d 479) (1993)), and Copeland thus should have been sentenced on Count 5. See id. But “when a merger error benefits a defendant and the State fails to raise it by cross-appeal,” we “exercise our discretion to correct the error upon our own initiative only in exceptional circumstances.” Dixon v. State, 302 Ga. 691, 698 (4) (808 SE2d 696) (2017). Seeing no such circumstances here, we decline to disturb the sentence. On October 2, 2013, Copeland filed a timely motion for new trial, which he amended through new counsel on October 30, 2019. After a hearing, the trial court denied the motion on October 3, 2022. On that same day, Copeland filed a notice of appeal. The appeal was docketed to the term of this Court beginning in December 2022 and was thereafter submitted for a decision on the briefs. appeal, Copeland contends that the evidence was constitutionally
insufficient to support his convictions and that his trial counsel
rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance. But the evidence
was sufficient: the only disputed question was whether the shooting
was justified, and the jury was entitled to discredit Copeland’s
testimony that he shot Glenn in self-defense. And, although trial
counsel admitted he relied on outdated precedent in seeking the
admission of evidence about Glenn’s criminal convictions, Copeland
has failed to establish that such evidence would have been
admissible even under the applicable standard, so he has not shown
the prejudice necessary to prevail on his claim of ineffective
assistance. We therefore affirm his convictions and sentence.
1. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdicts, the
evidence at trial showed as follows. On the day of the shooting,
Copeland went to Underground Atlanta with $400 in cash and
bought $10 worth of marijuana from Jamontae Strozier. Strozier
noticed that Copeland had a gun with a brown handle at his side,
concealed under his shirt.
2 At some point later, Copeland met up with his friend Mario
Clifton and another friend identified only as Pierre. As they were
about to leave the mall, they ran into Glenn and Glenn’s friend
Shatel Fowle. Copeland had known Glenn for about ten years, and
the two had been on rocky terms since several years earlier when
they were in jail together. Copeland and Glenn began arguing and
tussling.
As the men left the mall, their altercation continued. Once
outside, they walked ahead of the other men toward the nearby
MARTA train station. Just after they rounded the corner and were
out of the other men’s sight, two gunshots rang out. Glenn was shot
in the forearm and the torso, and the shot to the torso was fatal.
Copeland ran from the scene.
Later that evening, Copeland called Clifton and said he had
told Glenn to leave him alone and that he “didn’t want to fight.” A
few days after the shooting, Copeland ran into Strozier and told him
that he “didn’t . . . mean to shoot anybody.”
Although security cameras captured video footage of the men
3 walking inside the mall before the shooting, there was no footage of
the shooting, and no one came forward as an eyewitness to the actual
shooting.
Investigators identified Copeland as a suspect after speaking
with witnesses and tipsters. Six days after the shooting, an Atlanta
police officer spotted Copeland’s car and conducted a traffic stop.
Copeland initially gave a false name, and he was ultimately arrested
for driving without a valid license. Detectives later questioned
Copeland about the murder, and he denied any involvement in or
knowledge about the shooting, even after the detectives told him
about the video footage of him with Glenn just before the shooting
and noted that his name had “come up” in the investigation.
According to the GBI firearms examiner, the bullet removed
from Glenn’s body was a .38-caliber lead bullet. The clothing
removed from Glenn’s body was found to have “very few loose
particles” of gunpowder, indicating that the gun was fired from a
4 distance of a few feet away.2 Clifton testified that Copeland owned a
silver .38-caliber gun with a brown handle.
Copeland gave testimony in his own defense at trial that was
consistent with the defense’s theory that Glenn was a bully who
instigated the fatal altercation after Copeland refused to give him
money. Copeland testified that, throughout their acquaintance, he
and Glenn would often “get into it,” and he said he had seen Glenn
fight “numerous” other people in the past. On the day of the
shooting, Copeland testified, he encountered Glenn more than once
while at Underground. The first time, Glenn asked him for money,
and he refused and walked away. Later, after meeting up with
Clifton and Pierre, Copeland again ran into Glenn, who began
taunting and harassing him and then “grabbed my jacket and like
pulled me up”; Copeland told Glenn to leave him alone and went
outside to smoke a cigarette. When Copeland and his companions
went back into the mall, Glenn resumed his insults and
2 According to the firearms examiner, gunpowder particles typically “stop
depositing” when the firearm is fired from “around three-and-a-half to five- and-a-half feet” from the target. 5 provocations, and Copeland continued trying to rebuff him. The men
eventually left the mall, walking past the patio of a bar where
associates of Glenn were gathered, and Glenn handed his coat and
hat to Fowle and told him to “[f]all back, I got it.” As they headed
toward the train station, Glenn hit Copeland twice; Copeland
stumbled, and as Glenn raised his arm to swing again, Copeland
fired his gun. Copeland testified that he shot Glenn “to get him off
me,” that he had seen Glenn beat up “numerous folk” in the past,
and that he feared for his life and fired his gun as a last resort. When
asked why he had not given this account to the detectives, he said
he had been scared and did not trust them. Copeland admitted to
being a convicted felon.
Evidence was elicited from various witnesses about Glenn’s
penchant for fighting and possible gang affiliation. Strozier
described Glenn as a “good fighter” who was “nice with his hands”
and admitted that he had told the lead detective that there were
“nothing but Bloods” at Glenn’s funeral. A mall security officer
testified that people he believed were Glenn’s relatives, who
6 frequented the mall, were members of a local gang and that Glenn
“was not supposed to be on [the mall] property” at the time of the
shooting. Copeland testified that several of Glenn’s associates at the
bar patio that evening were members of the Bloods or a different
local gang.
2. Copeland contends that the evidence was insufficient to
support his convictions. When assessing a challenge to the
sufficiency of the evidence as a matter of constitutional due process,
the evidence presented at trial is viewed in the light most favorable
to the verdicts to determine whether any rational trier of fact could
have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of all the
crimes of which he was convicted. See Jones v. State, 304 Ga. 594,
598 (2) (820 SE2d 696) (2018) (citing Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S.
307, 319 (III) (B) (99 SCt 2781, 61 LE2d 560) (1979)). In making this
determination, we do not evaluate witness credibility, resolve
inconsistencies in the evidence, or assess the weight of the evidence;
these tasks are left to the sole discretion of the jury. See Walker v.
State, 296 Ga. 161, 163 (1) (766 SE2d 28) (2014). The jury’s verdicts
7 will be upheld as long as some competent evidence, even if
contradicted, supports each fact necessary to make out the State’s
case. See Jones, 304 Ga. at 598 (2).
Here, Copeland does not dispute that he shot and killed Glenn
or that he was a convicted felon at the time he did so. Rather, he
contends that the shooting was committed in self-defense. “[A]
person is justified in using force which is intended or likely to cause
death or great bodily harm only if he . . . reasonably believes that
such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to
himself . . . or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.” OCGA
§ 16-3-21 (a). Although the State bears the burden to disprove a
defendant’s self-defense claim, the jury decides whether this burden
has been met, and it is free to disbelieve the defendant’s testimony.
See Huff v. State, 315 Ga. 558, 562-563 (1) (883 SE2d 773) (2023).
The evidence here authorized the jury to reject Copeland’s
claim that he shot Glenn because he reasonably feared for his life.
See Huff, 315 Ga. at 562-563 (1). Given Copeland’s admitted lies to
investigators and the inconsistency between the forensic evidence—
8 indicating his gun was fired from more than three feet away—and
Copeland’s claim that he fired as Glenn was about to strike him, the
jury could have disbelieved his claim that he fired out of fear rather
than anger. See id. Or the jury could have concluded that what fear
Copeland did feel in the situation did not justify the use of a gun.
See Nelson v. State, 283 Ga. 119, 120 (1) (657 SE2d 201) (2008) (jury
was authorized to reject self-defense claim where it concluded that
appellant had used excessive force by shooting the victim after being
punched). And the evidence was otherwise sufficient to support
Copeland’s convictions. See Walker v. State, 312 Ga. 232, 235-236 (1)
(862 SE2d 285) (2021) (because the jury was authorized to disbelieve
the defendant’s self-defense claim, the evidence was sufficient to
support felony-murder and firearm-possession convictions).3
3 It is not clear that Copeland would have been entitled to claim self-
defense in the first place. Justification is generally not available as a defense to someone who commits a crime while otherwise engaged in the commission of a felony, see OCGA § 16-3-21 (b) (2), and here, there was undisputed evidence that Copeland was carrying a gun on the day of the shooting, which— because of his status as a convicted felon—was a felony. See OCGA § 16-11- 131 (b). And although our precedent at the time recognized an exception to the statutory bar against claiming justification “[w]here, upon a sudden emergency, one suddenly acquires actual possession of a pistol for the purpose
9 3. Copeland also contends that his trial counsel rendered
ineffective assistance by failing to present evidence of Glenn’s
criminal convictions to the jury. To succeed on a claim of ineffective
assistance, a defendant must establish both that his counsel’s
performance was deficient and that he was prejudiced as a result of
that deficient performance. See Washington v. State, 313 Ga. 771,
773 (3) (873 SE2d 132) (2022) (citing Strickland v. Washington, 466
U.S. 668, 687 (104 SCt 2052, 80 LE2d 674) (1984)).
To prove deficient performance, a defendant must establish
that counsel “performed his duties in an objectively unreasonable
way, considering all the circumstances and in the light of prevailing
professional norms.” Washington, 313 Ga. at 773 (3) (citation and
punctuation omitted). To overcome the “strong presumption” that
of defending himself,” Cauley v. State, 260 Ga. 324, 326 (2) (c) (393 SE2d 246) (1990), the evidence here seems not to support such an exception. This issue does not appear to have been raised or considered at trial so we do not decide it. But nothing in this opinion should be read to undermine existing law— which, we note, has changed since the trial in this case—governing the circumstances under which justification may be barred for those violating gun possession laws. See OCGA § 16-11-138 (“Defense of self or others . . . shall be an absolute defense to any violation under this part.”); Johnson v. State, 308 Ga. 141 (839 SE2d 521) (2020) (examining the effect of OCGA § 16-11-138 on OCGA § 16-3-21 (b) (2)). 10 counsel performed reasonably, the defendant must show that “no
reasonable lawyer would have done what his lawyer did, or would
have failed to do what his lawyer did not.” Id. (citation and
punctuation omitted). To prove prejudice, a defendant must
establish that there is a “reasonable probability that, but for
counsel’s deficiency, the result of the trial would have been
different.” Id. A reasonable probability is a probability “sufficient to
undermine confidence in the outcome” of the trial. Neal v. State, 313
Ga. 746, 751 (3) (873 SE2d 209) (2022) (citation and punctuation
omitted). If a defendant fails to make a sufficient showing on one
part of the Strickland test, we need not address the other part.
Washington, 313 Ga. at 773 (3).
In reviewing a trial court’s ruling on an ineffective-assistance
claim, we accept the trial court’s factual findings and credibility
determinations unless they are clearly erroneous, but we
independently apply the relevant legal principles to the facts. See
Sullivan v. State, 301 Ga. 37, 40 (2) (799 SE2d 163) (2017).
(a) Before trial, Copeland’s trial counsel moved for leave to
11 introduce evidence of Glenn’s prior criminal history, which included
three separate judgments of conviction for robbery by intimidation;
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and obstruction of a law
enforcement officer; and robbery and aggravated assault arising
from a carjacking. At a pretrial hearing, counsel argued that the
prior crimes were relevant to establishing Copeland’s claim of self-
defense. The State argued that the first and second crimes were not
crimes of violence and thus not relevant to the self-defense claim,
and that there was no evidence that Copeland had knowledge of the
carjacking incident, which would be required for the evidence of any
of the crimes to be admissible under the newly enacted OCGA § 24-
4-404 (a). Trial counsel responded that he “did not know the new
[evidence] code in terms of that situation” and was given time to
research the issue during a recess. After the recess, counsel stated
that he “could not find that particular statute” in the court’s law
library, but noted that he had found “the Hodges case that does
12 speak to Chandler . . . as the main authority” on this issue.4 The
State pointed out that the rule in Chandler was no longer good law,
because “the whole Evidence Code changed on January 1, 2013,” and
the trial court denied the motion, stating it would revisit the issue if
counsel later offered additional authority or proffered evidence of
Copeland’s knowledge of any of Glenn’s alleged prior bad acts.
Counsel did not seek to revisit the issue, and thus the jury was never
presented with any evidence of Glenn’s prior crimes.
At the motion-for-new-trial hearing, trial counsel testified that
the defense strategy had been to show that “Mr. Copeland was
confronted by a bully, and he defended himself against the bully.”
He testified further that he believed his performance at trial had
been deficient due to his lack of knowledge of the newly enacted
Evidence Code, and that this had prejudiced Copeland’s ability to
4 See State v. Hodges, 291 Ga. 413, 415 (728 SE2d 582) (2012) (citing, as
the seminal case on victim-prior-acts evidence, Chandler v. State, 261 Ga. 402, 407-408 (3) (b), (c) (405 SE2d 669) (1991) (announcing rule that “evidence of specific acts of violence by a victim against third persons shall be admissible where the defendant claims justification” and imposing procedures governing the introduction of such evidence)). 13 prove Copeland’s claim of self-defense. In rejecting Copeland’s
ineffectiveness claim, the trial court made no express factual
findings and summarily concluded that Copeland had shown neither
deficient performance nor prejudice.
(b) Even assuming trial counsel rendered deficient
performance, Copeland has failed to establish prejudice because he
cannot show that the evidence of Glenn’s past convictions could have
been admitted.
Under the current Evidence Code, which governed Copeland’s
2013 trial,5 an accused may offer “evidence of a pertinent trait of
character of the alleged victim,” “for the purpose of proving action in
conformity therewith,” OCGA § 24-4-404 (a) (2), but that evidence is
generally limited to “testimony as to reputation or by testimony in
the form of an opinion,” OCGA § 24-4-405 (a). Evidence of “specific
instances” of a victim’s conduct is admissible for this purpose only
when the character trait “is an essential element of a charge, claim,
5 See Ga. L. 2011, pp. 99, 214, § 101 (2013 Evidence Code made effective
as to all trials “commenced on or after” January 1, 2013). 14 or defense.” OCGA § 24-4-405 (b). See Mohamud v. State, 297 Ga.
532, 536 (3) (773 SE2d 755) (2015) (construing OCGA § 24-4-405 to
mean that “as a general rule, character evidence of a victim is
limited to reputation or opinion, not specific bad acts”) (emphasis in
original); see also United States v. Gulley, 526 F3d 809, 818-819 (5th
Cir. 2008) (recognizing that “the plain language of [federal] Rule 405
(b) limits the use of specific instances of conduct to prove essential
elements of a charge or defense” and thus that the victim’s prior
violent acts were not admissible in support of the defendant’s self-
defense claim); United States v. Gregg, 451 F3d 930, 933-935 (8th
Cir. 2006) (same).6
Specific instances of a victim’s past conduct may also be
admitted, not to show the victim’s action in conformity therewith,
but rather “to establish the defendant’s state of mind and the
6 “OCGA §§ 24-4-404 (a) and 24-4-405 closely track their counterparts in
the Federal Rules of Evidence, so we look to federal appellate decisions applying these federal rules for guidance in interpreting the Georgia statutes.” Strong v. State, 309 Ga. 295, 314 (3) n.21 (845 SE2d 653) (2020). At the time of Copeland’s trial, no Georgia appellate decisions had construed these provisions. 15 reasonableness of the defendant’s use of force.” United States v.
Bordeaux, 570 F3d 1041, 1049 (8th Cir. 2009). Because such
evidence is offered as proof of the defendant’s state of mind at the
time of the charged crime, it is admissible only if there is proof that
the defendant actually knew about the victim’s prior acts at that
time. See id. at 1050-1051 (affirming exclusion of evidence of victim’s
prior acts of which defendant had no knowledge); United States v.
Saenz, 179 F3d 686, 688-689 (9th Cir. 1999) (explaining that
prohibition on victim-prior-acts evidence “does not apply when a
defendant seeks to introduce evidence that he knew of a victim’s
other acts to show the defendant’s state of mind”) (emphasis in
original).7
Thus, here, evidence of Glenn’s prior crimes would not have
been admissible to prove that Glenn had a violent or non-law-
abiding character. It would only have been admissible—and even
7 See also Griffin v. State, 309 Ga. 860, 873 (5) (b) & n.14 (849 SE2d 191)
(2020) (noting that admissibility of such evidence was still an open question under Georgia law but that in any event appellant had failed to show he had knowledge of victim’s prior crime). 16 then, only potentially—to show Copeland’s state of mind at the time
of the shooting and the reasonableness of his use of force. And it
could have been admissible for that purpose only upon a showing
that Copeland actually knew about the past crimes at the time of
the shooting.
But Copeland has offered no evidence—nor even any
argument—that he knew of Glenn’s past crimes at the time of the
shooting. Copeland asserts on appeal that “[n]ot only was Mr.
Copeland a victim of Mr. Glenn’s prior acts of violence and
intimidation, he was also aware of Mr. Glenn’s previous acts of
violence against others.” But in support of this assertion, he cites
only his own testimony that “I seen [Glenn] beat numerous folk
before,” and his affirmative response when asked on direct
examination whether, “based on [his] personal experience with Mr.
Glenn,” Glenn “could whip” him “if he wanted to.” Neither these
assertions about unspecified prior acts nor anything else in the
record shows that Copeland actually knew about Glenn’s prior
convictions. Without such evidence, he cannot show that, even had
17 his counsel been familiar with the controlling law at the time of trial,
he would have had any chance at persuading the court to admit the
evidence of Glenn’s prior crimes. And short of such a showing,
Copeland cannot establish a reasonable probability that, but for
counsel’s deficiency, the result of the trial would have been different.
See Washington, 313 Ga. at 773 (3). So Copeland’s claim of
ineffective assistance fails.
Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur.
Decided May 31, 2023.
Murder. Fulton Superior Court. Before Judge Dempsey, Senior
Judge.
The Leslie Group, Deborah L. Leslie, for appellant.
Fani T. Willis, District Attorney, Kevin C. Armstrong, Aslean Z.
Eaglin, Assistant District Attorneys; Christopher M. Carr, Attorney
General, Beth A. Burton, Deputy Attorney General, Paula K. Smith,
Senior Assistant Attorney General, Meghan H. Hill, Assistant
Attorney General, for appellee.