Parker v. State

823 S.E.2d 313, 305 Ga. 136
Supreme Court of Georgia·Decided January 22, 2019·No. S18A1589·Published·Cited by 19 cases

Opinion

Blackwell, Justice.

**136James Don Parker was tried by a Jones County jury and convicted of the murder of Alan Helmuth. Parker appeals, claiming that the trial court erred when it charged the jury and that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. We see no reversible error and affirm.1

*3161. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence shows that Parker and Helmuth were best friends and neighbors in rural Jones County, near Haddock. At the time of his death, Helmuth was 61 years of age, and he suffered from a variety of medical conditions, including gout, diabetes, and a lung disease that often left him short-winded and dizzy. Parker, who described himself as "a lot healthier and a lot younger" than Helmuth,2 was about eight inches shorter than his friend, but the men weighed about the same.

On the evening of February 10, 2014, Parker invited Helmuth to drink moonshine at Parker's house. Helmuth told his wife that he would not be gone for long, but he never returned. Around seven o'clock on the morning of February 11, Parker appeared at the home of another neighbor and asked that neighbor to "call the law." When police officers responded to Parker's home, they found Helmuth's body. He had been shot once in the forehead and once in the side of his face.3 The shot to the forehead left a bullet lodged in his brain, and the shot to the side of his face travelled through his neck and left a bullet lodged in his left lung.4 Parker was arrested, and as he was booked at **137the jail, he spontaneously said, "That's what moonshine [will] do to you."

At his trial, Parker testified that he killed Helmuth in self-defense. By Parker's account, Helmuth was in good spirits when he came over, and he did not appear to be angry when Parker told him that he was not as tough as he used to be. As the men continued drinking, however, Helmuth's mood changed. According to Parker, Helmuth spoke of his need to demonstrate that he "really [was] a badass," and he then hit Parker in the face. Helmuth continued to hit Parker and eventually knocked him out. Up to that point, Parker said, he never hit back. When Parker came to, Helmuth was slapping him in the face and telling him to get up. When Parker did not respond, Helmuth kicked him and announced that the beating would continue until Parker stood. At that point, Parker stood, and Helmuth continued to beat him with his fists. Parker testified that he repeatedly tried to escape, but Helmuth blocked him each time. Finally, Parker said, Helmuth knocked him into his bedroom, where Parker was able to retrieve his Marlin .22-caliber lever-action rifle. (On cross-examination, Parker acknowledged that-at the time that he was in his bedroom getting the gun-Helmuth was approximately 15 feet away in the living room, and Parker testified that he "didn't think to" close or lock the door to his bedroom.)5 Parker claimed that he told Helmuth to leave his house, and Helmuth refused, saying "You'll have to kill me because I'm fixing to keep on whipping your ass." Parker said that Helmuth then lunged at him, and he shot at Helmuth. When Helmuth came at Parker a second time, he shot Helmuth again. Parker acknowledged that he then "collapsed onto [his] bed," and he fell asleep without checking on his friend or attempting to seek help for him.

*317Much of the physical and medical evidence is inconsistent with Parker's account. For example, photographs and testimony admitted at trial show that, when Parker was arrested and booked on the morning of February 11, he had only minor bruising and a few superficial cuts on his face (none of which required medical treatment other than cleaning). And he had no significant bruising or defensive injuries on his torso or arms consistent with being kicked or punched in the way he described.

Parker does not dispute that the evidence is sufficient to sustain his conviction. But consistent with our usual practice in murder cases, we independently have reviewed the record to assess the legal sufficiency of the evidence. We conclude that the evidence presented **138at trial, when viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, was sufficient to authorize a rational trier of fact to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Parker was guilty of murder. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (III) (B), 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979).

2. Parker claims that the trial court erred when it charged the jury about how it should consider evidence of his good character. The trial court gave the pattern jury instruction on good character evidence, charging the jury as follows:

You have heard evidence of the character of the defendant in an effort to show that the defendant likely acted in keeping with such character or trait at pertinent times, or with reference to the issues of this case. This evidence has been offered in the form of opinion of other witnesses, reputation, and specific incidences of conduct of the defendant showing such trait. You should consider any such evidence along with all the other evidence in deciding whether or not you have a reasonable doubt about the guilt of the defendant.

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Parker v. State, 823 S.E.2d 313, 305 Ga. 136 (Ga. 2019).

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