Pittman v. State
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Randy Leon Pittman, Jr. was convicted for malice murder and arson in connection with the shooting and burning death of Natoshia Smith. Pittman challenged his convictions on several grounds. He argued that the evidence was insufficient to identify Smith’s skeletal remains, that the trial court erred in denying his motion to disqualify the District Attorney who had previously represented him, that the trial court improperly prohibited him from asking witnesses about other fires that occurred while he was incarcerated, and that the trial court erred in denying a motion for mistrial.
The case was previously reviewed by a Haralson County grand jury, which indicted Pittman for malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, arson in the first degree, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The jury found Pittman guilty of the remaining charges and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for malice murder and a consecutive term of 20 years for arson. Pittman filed a motion for a new trial, which was denied by the trial court.
The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed the lower court's decision. The court found that the forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony were sufficient to identify Smith as the victim. The court also found no error in refusing to disqualify the District Attorney based on his prior representation of Pittman, as it was undisputed that the prior representation ended several years before and was completely unrelated to the murder prosecution. The court concluded that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding evidence of other fires because the evidence was not relevant. Finally, the court concluded that Pittman did not preserve for appeal his claim related to the denial of his motion for mistrial.
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