The Georgia Supreme Court (SCOGA) has rejected the conviction and sentence given in a March 2022 Jackson County murder. Donald Carter had appealed his convictions for malice murder and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of Samuel Sanders.
Carter contended that the trial court erred by failing to conduct an adequate hearing on the issue of Carter’s mental competence to stand trial. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities had found him competent to stand trial. However, Carter alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a special plea of mental incompetence.
However, in a 23-page opinion the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday Carter failed to show ineffective assistance of his trial attorney for failing to file the special plea of mental incompetence.
The ruling was unanimous.
Click here to read the high court’s full opinion: s25a1129.pdf