Washington v. State

The trial court did not err in allowing counsel for the victim's brother to testify regarding the manner in which detectives presented a photographic lineup to his client.

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Following a jury trial, Bryant Washington was found guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.1 On appeal, Washington argues that the trial court made several errors regarding the introduction of identification testimony and that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.

1. In the light most favorable to the verdict, the record shows that, on September 2, 2008, Jeffrey Lawrence, the victim, was living in an apartment with his brother, Charles Lawrence, and their friend, Darnell Hudson. That day, Monica Taylor, the mother of Hudson’s child, was visiting the apartment. At approximately 11:00 a.m., a man known as “Slim” or “Old Man Ron” came to the apartment with the intention of purchasing drugs from Charles Lawrence and Hudson. Slim was accompanied by three other men, one of whom was wearing a yellow hat and a yellow shirt and had a New Orleans accent. After walking in and out of the house several times, the man in the yellow hat came inside, pulled out a gun, and told everyone to “lay it down.” He then opened fire and shot Jeffrey Lawrence in the head, ultimately killing him. Charles Lawrence responded by firing a gun back, and he and Hudson chased the man outside of the apartment. Later, when investigating the scene, police recovered a yellow hat from the bushes in front of the apartment, and DNA on the hat was a match for Washington, who is originally from New Orleans.

Washington v. State

The trial court did not err in allowing counsel for the victim's brother to testify regarding the manner in which detectives presented a photographic lineup to his client.

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