After a jury trial, Appellant Christopher Teasley and his brothers Emory Teasley and Tyrone Teasley were found guilty of the malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault of James Riden, aggravated assault of Markez Jones, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and tampering with evidence. The felony murder verdict was vacated by operation of law, and the count charging aggravated assault of Riden was merged into the malice murder. The trial court entered judgments of conviction on each of the remaining guilty verdicts and sentenced Appellant to life imprisonment for murder, a consecutive five-year term for the weapons charge, and concurrent terms of 20 years for aggravated assault and three years for tampering with evidence. A motion for new trial was denied, and Appellant appeals.1 Construed most strongly in support of the verdicts, the evidence shows that Jones received a call informing him that his 15-year-old cousin Jarvis Evans had been beaten by Appellant and his two brothers and that Appellant and Tyrone held Evans while Emory hit him. Later on the same day, Emory called Jones, who said “it’s on,” and Emory responded, “One of y’all going to die.” Appellant drove his brothers through Evans’ neighborhood where they saw Jones and his uncle James Riden in the latter’s vehicle, slowing down and staring the Teasley brothers down. Tyrone retrieved his gun from his mother’s apartment where Appellant and Emory lived. Appellant then drove his brothers to a local convenience store and pool hall.
After arriving at the pool hall, Tyrone stated that, if Jones and Riden came there with their complaint, he would kill somebody. Emory said for somebody to call them and send them up there. Jones received a phone call during which he could hear Emory saying to tell them to come on up there. The caller informed Jones that the Teasley brothers were at the pool hall. Riden drove Jones to the pool hall where Jones asked Emory why he jumped on Evans. Emory cursed at Jones, who hit Emory in the jaw. Although Tyrone testified that his brothers did not know that he had a gun, Emory told Tyrone to shoot Jones. As Tyrone was firing his gun and Jones was running away, someone said to shoot Riden, and Jones then saw his uncle drop to the ground, fatally wounded. Appellant, who had been near Emory just before the shooting, ran to his car and drove his brothers away from the scene of the crimes. Tyrone told Appellant where to drive and threw the gun out the car window into a wooded area.
