From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Gaddis v. State

Supreme Court of Georgia
Feb 6, 1980
265 S.E.2d 275 (Ga. 1980)

Opinion

35772.

ARGUED JANUARY 21, 1980.

DECIDED FEBRUARY 6, 1980.

Murder; extraordinary motion for new trial. Jefferson Superior Court. Before Judge McMillan.

Millard C. Farmer, Joseph M. Nursey, Andrea I. Young, for appellant.

H. Reginald Thompson, District Attorney, Richard A. Malone, Assistant District Attorney, Arthur K. Bolton, Attorney General, for appellee.


Defendant appeals from denial of an extraordinary motion for new trial in which he enumerated the following errors: (1) that the trial court erred in unlawfully excluding blacks and women from the grand and traverse jury panels; (2) that the trial court erred in charging that "A person of sound mind and discretion is presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of his acts"; and (3) that the trial court erred in failing to charge the jury that they are to consider mitigating, as well as aggravating, circumstances in determining whether to impose a death sentence and are not bound to render a death penalty upon proof of aggravating circumstances.

Defendant's death penalty was affirmed in Gaddis v. State, 239 Ga. 238 ( 236 S.E.2d 594) (1977).

Defendant's motion was properly denied because those enumerations are not proper subjects for consideration by extraordinary motion for a new trial. Goodwin v. State, 240 Ga. 605 ( 242 S.E.2d 119) (1978); Dix v. State, 244 Ga. 464 ( 260 S.E.2d 863) (1979); Blake v. State, 244 Ga. 466 ( 260 S.E.2d 876) (1979); Douthit v. State, 244 Ga. 471 ( 260 S.E.2d 875) (1979). As stated in Ga. Prac. and Proc., § 19-3 (4th ed.): "[I]n no event will the motion be good unless the movant could not, by the exercise of proper diligence, have known of the grounds thereof in time to have incorporated them into the ordinary motion for new trial."

The state's motion to consolidate this appeal with the habeas corpus appeal of Birt v. Hopper, 245 Ga. 221, post (1980) is denied.

Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur.


ARGUED JANUARY 21, 1980 — DECIDED FEBRUARY 6, 1980.


Summaries of

Gaddis v. State

Supreme Court of Georgia
Feb 6, 1980
265 S.E.2d 275 (Ga. 1980)
Case details for

Gaddis v. State

Case Details

Full title:GADDIS v. THE STATE

Court:Supreme Court of Georgia

Date published: Feb 6, 1980

Citations

265 S.E.2d 275 (Ga. 1980)
265 S.E.2d 275

Citing Cases

Balkcom v. State

The law is otherwise clear that an extraordinary motion for new trial is properly denied and will be affirmed…

Zant v. Gaddis

Certiorari was denied by the United States Supreme Court. Gaddis v. Georgia, 434 U.S. 1088 (1977). An…