On January 1, 2008, Denis Rogers was found with a gunshot wound to his head in the passenger seat of Edwin Wynn’s car on a Newton County road. He died four days later as a result of that injury. Appellant Courtney Courtmentez Thornton was convicted of and sentenced for the malice murder of Rogers, the armed robbery of Wynn, theft by receiving a gun stolen in 2005 from a car in Rockdale County, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and, in a bifurcated proceeding, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Thornton has filed a timely appeal to this Court, and we affirm all the convictions except that for theft by receiving.1
1 a. The State presented evidence that Rogers and Wynn drove to appellant’s home in Wynn’s car to purchase marijuana. Appellant entered the back seat of the car and the trio proceeded to the home of appellant’s cousin. Wynn testified that, while Wynn was driving, appellant shot the victim in the head and then put the gun against the right side of Wynn’s neck and ordered him to stop the car and give him money. Wynn complied with the directives and, as he gave his money to appellant, entered the back seat of the car over the console and struggled with appellant for control of the gun. During the struggle, a shot was fired through the front passenger window. Wynn gained control of the gun, fired it once when appellant grabbed him, then threw the gun out of the car into a wooded area and ran away. Appellant overtook Wynn and punched him, breaking his teeth. Wynn escaped and ran to a parking lot where he found a deputy sheriff and reported the events. After the jury returned its guilty verdicts on twelve of the thirteen counts of the indictment, the State presented evidence in the form of a certified copy of appellant’s conviction in May 2000 for aggravated battery, and the jury found appellant guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The evidence was sufficient to authorize a rational trier of fact to conclude that appellant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of malice murder, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm while a convicted felon. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1978.
