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DIXON v. THE STATE

Supreme Court of Georgia1902-08-08
116 Ga. 186

Summary

Holding. The judgment of the trial court denying the motion for a new trial was affirmed, as the evidence of Dixon's guilt was legally sufficient and the court found no reversible error in the trial court's rulings on either the general or special grounds of the motion.

Sarah E. Dixon and Jerry Walden were jointly indicted for murdering Dixon's husband. Both were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Dixon received a new trial on appeal, was convicted again, and sentenced to life imprisonment a second time. She appealed the trial court's denial of her post-conviction motion for a new trial.

The appellate court reviewed the evidence and found it conclusively established Walden's guilt. Walden's testimony, if believed, also proved Dixon's guilt and was corroborated by numerous facts and circumstances directly linking her to the crime. The court determined the evidence satisfied all legal requirements for a guilty verdict.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Sufficiency of evidence to support conviction for murder
  • Standard for granting motion for a new trial
  • Corroboration of accomplice testimony

Procedural posture

Dixon appealed the trial court's denial of her motion for a new trial following her second conviction for murder.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Lumpkin, P. J.

Mrs. Sarah E. Dixon and Jerry Walden were jointly indicted for the murder of the husband of the former. Walden is now serving a life sentence based upon a verdict of guilty returned against him. Mrs. Dixon was convicted, and a like sentence was imposed upon her. This court granted her a new trial (see 113 Ga. 1039), and she was a second time found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for life. She is again before this court, alleging that the trial court erred in overruling a motion for a new trial made by her after thelast conviction. This motion embraced the general and a number of special grounds. We have carefully read and considered the evidence. It established beyond doubt the guilt of Walden, and his testimony, if true, showed the guilt of Mrs. Dixon. This testimony was corroborated by evidence of numerous facts and circumstances which not only directly connected Mrs. Dixon with the perpetration of the crime, but was really sufficient to warrant a verdict of guilty against her. The testimony as a whole, therefore, more than met the requirements of the law, and we have no hesitation whatever in declaring that the general grounds of the motion are without merit. The special grounds thereof present for our determination the familiar questions dealt with above. The correctness of our rulings thereon as announced in the headnotes is too obvious to require elaboration or discussion. There was no error, and the judgment below must stand.

Judgment affirmed.

All the Justices concurring, except Lewis, J., absent.