Bryant v. State

The trial court had discretion to admit a witness's testimony that he was threatened about testifying in this case and put in protective custody to explain the witness's initial reluctance to speak with police, to give his full name and to make a statement.

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Ray Bryant was tried by a Fulton County jury and convicted of murder and other crimes, all in connection with the fatal shooting of Jurell Williams. Bryant appeals, contending that the evidence is legally insufficient to sustain his convictions and that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. Upon our review of the record and briefs, we see no error, and we affirm.1

1. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence shows that on the evening of October 18, 2006, Bryant drove his wife’s red car to the apartment complex in which Williams lived, and Bryant stopped the car near Williams, who was standing in the parking lot. Larry Foster saw Paul Mathis approach Williams and ask for “the money.” When Williams denied having any money, Mathis struck Williams in the face with a gun, knocking out two teeth. Williams fell to the ground, and Mathis stood over him and asked: “You think we playing with you” While Williams was on the ground with his hands up, Mathis fired about three shots at him. After the shooting, Bryant—who had approached Williams during the altercation—and Mathis searched Williams thoroughly, removing some of his clothing. Both Bryant and Mathis then fled in the red car, with Bryant driving. As Williams lay dying, he identified Bryant and Mathis by their nicknames, “Payday” and “Ray-Ray.” And Foster later identified both Bryant and Mathis by the same nicknames, provided physical descriptions of them, and selected both from photographic lineups. A few days before the shooting, Williams told a friend that “Ray-Ray” and “Payday” had been threatening to kill him for selling marijuana in the apartment parking lot, and Bryant called and left a message laced with obscenities on Williams’s phone.

Bryant v. State

The trial court had discretion to admit a witness's testimony that he was threatened about testifying in this case and put in protective custody to explain the witness's initial reluctance to speak with police, to give his full name and to make a statement.

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