Javarice Broadwater v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedFebruary 16, 2021
DocketA20A1635
StatusPublished

This text of Javarice Broadwater v. State (Javarice Broadwater v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Javarice Broadwater v. State, (Ga. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

SECOND DIVISION MILLER, P. J., MERCIER, J., SENIOR APPELLATE JUDGE PHIPPS

NOTICE: Motions for reconsideration must be physically received in our clerk’s office within ten days of the date of decision to be deemed timely filed. https://www.gaappeals.us/rules

DEADLINES ARE NO LONGER TOLLED IN THIS COURT. ALL FILINGS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN THE TIMES SET BY OUR COURT RULES.

February 12, 2021

In the Court of Appeals of Georgia A20A1635. BROADWATER v. THE STATE.

MILLER, Presiding Judge.

A Richmond County jury found Javarice Broadwater guilty of armed robbery,

kidnapping, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and the

trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment with a consecutive five-year sentence.

Broadwater appeals from the denial of his motion for new trial, arguing that (1) the

trial court plainly erred by admitting evidence of threats without first establishing that

he made the threats; (2) the trial court erred in admitting similar transaction evidence;

(3) the trial court erred in admitting witness identification evidence because it was

impermissibly suggestive; (4) the trial court erred in allowing the prosecutor to ask

him why the State’s witness would lie; and (5) that the cumulative effect of all the

errors mandates a new trial. For the reasons that follow, we affirm. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdicts,1 the

evidence shows that in 2011, Lewis Rouse was a cashier at a BP gas station in

Richmond County. On the evening of January 6, 2011, Rouse was getting ready to

close the gas station for the night when he noticed someone sitting inside a car that

was parked in the parking lot away from the gas station’s window. At approximately

10:25 p.m. that same evening, a man entered the store and attempted to purchase a

bag of potato chips. As Rouse rang up the item, the man pulled out a black semi-

automatic firearm. The man then shoved the firearm into Rouse’s chest, placed a bag

on the counter, and told Rouse, “You know what to do.” Rouse then took money out

of the cash registers and put it inside the bag. The man also demanded money from

the safe, but Rouse was unable to retrieve money from the safe. The man then took

Rouse at gunpoint from behind the counter to the back office and asked Rouse for the

store’s yellow envelopes and lottery tickets. The man took the lottery tickets, ordered

Rouse to stay in the office, and exited the store towards the area where Rouse had

1 Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U. S. 307 (99 SCt 2781, 61 LE2d 560) (1979).

2 noticed the car parked earlier that night.2 Rouse then called the police and they

arrived on the scene minutes later.

Three days prior to the BP gas station robbery, Shamoneeka Clark was working

as a cashier at a Shell gas station in McDuffie County, when a man came into the

store at approximately at 9:45 p.m. and robbed her at gunpoint.3 The following night,

also in McDuffie County, Quintessia Lee was working at a Chevron gas station when

a man entered her store at approximately 11 p.m., pointed a gun at her, and robbed her

at gunpoint.4 . An agent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (“GBI”) began an

investigation into these two armed robberies,5 collected surveillance video and

photographic stills from the incidents, and sent the footage to television news

stations. Laura Laughinghouse, Broadwater’s former neighbor, saw the news reports

2 The surveillance video from the gas station that captured the incident was entered into evidence and played for the jury. 3 Clark identified Broadwater during trial as the man who robbed her gas station. 4 Lee identified Broadwater during trial as the man who robbed her gas station. 5 The two McDuffie County robbery offenses were admitted into evidence as other acts evidence under OCGA § 24-4-404 (b).

3 of the robbery at the Chevron gas station and recognized Broadwater as the man

robbing the gas station and contacted the GBI.

The GBI agent then searched for information as to whether other crimes were

committed in that county or the surrounding counties. On January 11, 2011, the agent

was searching a television news station’s website and came across the video of the

BP robbery. After watching the video, he contacted the Richmond County Sheriff’s

office and gave them Broadwater’s name.

An officer from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office compared the

surveillance video with a known photograph of Broadwater and determined that

Broadwater was the person on the surveillance video. The officer then compiled a

photo line-up for Rouse, and Rouse identified Broadwater as the man who robbed his

gas station. Laughinghouse was also provided with the footage from the BP gas

station robbery and the Shell gas station robbery, and she identified Broadwater as

the perpetrator of those offenses, and she also identified Broadwater at trial.

Broadwater was indicted for armed robbery (OCGA § 16-8-41), kidnapping

(OCGA § 16-5-40), and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime

(OCGA § 16-11-106), all stemming from the BP gas station robbery. The jury

4 convicted Broadwater on all charges, and the trial court sentenced him to life

imprisonment with a consecutive five-year sentence. Broadwater filed a motion for

new trial, which the trial court denied after a hearing. This appeal followed.

1. First, Broadwater argues that the trial court erred in allowing a State’s

witness to testify about threatening messages she received from Broadwater’s family

member. We conclude that, although the trial court erred in permitting this testimony,

Broadwater is not entitled to a new trial on this basis.

Broadwater concedes that this issue is not preserved for appellate review

because he did not object to the testimony during trial. Accordingly, we review this

issue for plain error only. See State v. Parks, 350 Ga. App. 799, 808-809 (1) (830

SE2d 284) (2019) (“[W]e review unobjected-to evidentiary rulings for plain error.”).

[T]o prevail on this enumeration of error, [Broadwater] must show that: (1) there was an error that he did not affirmatively waive; (2) the error was obvious; (3) the error affected his substantial rights, which means that he must demonstrate that the error likely affected the outcome of the proceedings; and (4) the error seriously affected the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.

Lofton v. State, 309 Ga. 349, 358-359 (4) (846 SE2d 57) (2020).

In Georgia, evidence of a defendant’s attempt to influence or intimidate a witness can serve as circumstantial evidence of guilt. Evidence of an

5 attempt made by a third person to influence a witness not to testify or to testify falsely is relevant and may be introduced into evidence in a criminal prosecution on the issue of the defendant’s guilt where it is established that the attempt was made with the authorization of the accused.

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Javarice Broadwater v. State, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/javarice-broadwater-v-state-gactapp-2021.