Freddie Hilton was convicted of murder and other crimes stemming from the November 3, 1971, shooting of City of Atlanta Police Officer James Green.1 For the reasons that follow, we affirm. 1. The evidence at trial, viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, showed the following. Shortly after 12:00 a.m. on November 3, 1971, Officer Green was shot three times and killed while he was sitting in a parked police van. One bullet struck him on the left side of the head, another bullet struck him on the left side of the neck, and the third bullet struck him in the shoulder. Officer Green’s badge and his Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver had been stolen. Forensic evidence established that Officer Green was shot with two different .38 caliber revolvers, both from manufacturers other than Smith & Wesson.
In November 1971, Hilton and several other people were members of a cell of the Black Liberation Army “BLA” that came to Atlanta. Ronald Anderson, a cell member, testified that John Thomas was the leader of the group and that the cell did not engage in any criminal activity without his approval. Thomas was about 35 years old and the rest of the members were 17 to 20 years old. Anderson testified that, early one morning around November 3, 1971, Hilton woke him up and told him that Hilton and Twymon Myers, another cell member, had “shot a cop.” Hilton gave Anderson a bag containing a .38 caliber revolver and a police officer’s badge and asked him to dispose of the items. Anderson drove around Atlanta looking for a place to dispose of the items, but did not do so, because he was “petrified.” He returned to the cell’s house and returned the gun and badge to Hilton. The next day, when Hilton, Thomas, and Myers were not at the house, Anderson, along with other cell members who were concerned about the killing, attempted to leave Atlanta, but they were arrested by Dekalb County authorities before they could do so and charged with some armed robberies. Anderson testified that he volunteered information about Officer Green’s killing to Dekalb officials while awaiting trial. However, Anderson and the other cell members escaped from jail shortly after that statement.
