Appellant Jamon Jackson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for fatally shooting his girlfriend Ashley Cierra White and burning her body inside her vehicle to conceal her death.1
1. The record on appeal shows as follows. On Tuesday, August 9, 2005, appellant and the victim were driving around in the victim’s silver Honda Civic. Sometime after 11p.m., they picked up appellant’s friend Darnell Amaker and the three continued to ride around the Campbellton Road area. While near a stop sign, appellant and the victim started to argue. Amaker testified that the victim pushed the vehicle gear into park and then proceeded to slap appellant about the face with her open palm. Amaker saw appellant pull out a gun and then put it back down. The victim then pulled her cell phone from her purse and began to dial at which point Amaker said appellant grabbed the phone out of the victim’s hand. The victim asked appellant whether he was going to shoot her. In response, appellant pulled out the gun and shot the victim in her face. After saying he “didn’t mean to do it,” appellant began driving again. Amaker said he observed that the victim’s body was shaking when she was initially shot and that it stopped moving altogether at which point he presumed that she was dead. Appellant eventually pulled the car over, parked it on a street, and he and Amaker exited the vehicle. Amaker said he called Michael Grissom to have his brother Joseph Grissom to come pick them up. Joseph testified that appellant had called him requesting a ride as well. Joseph and his girlfriend both testified that they went to pick up Amaker and appellant and drove Amaker to where he was staying. Joseph and his girlfriend said they drove appellant back to the silver Honda where they observed appellant enter the vehicle and drive away. Neither Joseph nor his girlfriend said they saw a body inside the vehicle. They followed appellant but became separated. Joseph testified that as he was getting ready to turn around and go back home, appellant called him and asked him to wait. Joseph began driving away, but then saw appellant on foot and picked him up and took him home. Joseph said appellant was wearing a different shirt than when they picked him up and that he saw smoke emanating from the area from which appellant was walking. Bennie Grissom, who was the father of Michael and Joseph, testified at trial that appellant confessed to him that he had killed the victim.
