Alfonso Mason was convicted of murder in the stabbing death of Cynthia Hyman and of kidnapping, armed robbery and hijacking a motor vehicle as to Bridgett McLemore. He appeals from the denial of his motion for new trial1 challenging the sufficiency of the evidence as to his murder conviction and the admission of his custodial statements. Finding no error, we affirm. 1. The evidence adduced at trial authorized the jury to find that appellant, after residing in a third floor room at an extended stay hotel for over year, was being evicted on the day of the charged crimes due to his inability to pay the rent. Cynthia Hyman, who was the executive housekeeper at the hotel, had earlier confirmed with appellant that he was leaving that day. However, before 1 p.m., appellant saw Hyman enter Room 221 on the second floor of the hotel and went to her to get back a pouch containing jewelry that Hyman had tried to sell on appellant’s behalf. Appellant had decided against letting Hyman sell the jewelry because he did not like the price or terms of payment offered by the purchaser Hyman had located. Although Hyman had answered a telephone call on her cell phone around 12:30 p.m. that day, she did not answer any subsequent calls. Around 1 p.m., the assistant manager of the hotel, Bridgett McLemore, saw appellant on the second floor walking away from the area where Room 221 was located. Appellant descended the stairs and approached her. After she greeted him, he followed her into the office, put a handgun to her side and said, “Bridgett, I’m going to have to rob you.” He then stole money from the till, damaged the wires to the security system and ordered McLemore to drive him from the scene in her car. While in the car, appellant reiterated threats to kill the hotel’s manager and commented that “Cynthia was tripping”; the comment puzzled McLemore, who did not understand what appellant was saying about Hyman or why he mentioned her. Shortly afterwards, he ordered McLemore to drive back to the hotel’s area, where he took the car and her cellphone and allowed her to leave. McLemore ran to the hotel’s office where she reported the armed robbery and kidnapping to the manager. After calling 911 after 1 p.m., they contacted all of the hotel’s employees but received no response from Hyman. Her body was found in Room 221 by the manager and a police officer. She had been stabbed four times in her chest and abdomen and once on her back. Three of the front stabbings inflicted fatal wounds that caused her to bleed to death internally. Expert testimony was introduced that one wound was inflicted by a weapon with a serrated blade. Appellant subsequently surrendered to police. During an interview at which he waived his Miranda rights, appellant admitted robbing McLemore and taking her car. After initial denials, he told officers that he had stabbed Hyman using a serrated knife he found in the room’s kitchenette.
In his testimony at trial, appellant stated that he met with Hyman in Room 221 and retrieved his pouch from her but that he did not kill her. He explained that he confessed to stabbing her because he was depressed and “wanted to get out of that room as quickly as possible.” He testified that he robbed the office but denied using a handgun to do so and claimed McLemore went with him voluntarily to her car; he admitted that he thereafter took her car.
