Hamilton v. State

A witness's lack of personal knowledge regarding how business records were created went to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility.

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Pierre Hamilton was indicted for a single count of malice murder. A jury acquitted Hamilton of murder and of involuntary manslaughter based upon battery, but convicted him of voluntary manslaughter. Hamilton now appeals. Viewed in the light most favorable to support the verdict, the evidence showed that in 2002, Hamilton was a frequent resident of the Super 8 motel on Cone Street in Atlanta. At around 4:30 or 5:00 p. m. on the afternoon of October 3, 2002, Michelle Johnson, the motel’s housekeeping supervisor, saw Hamilton enter Room 518 of the motel with a young woman she later identified as Laura Pegues. The next morning, housekeeper Rose Samuels found Pegues’ body laying on a housekeeping cart inside a supply closet on the fifth floor of the motel. Police observed that Pegues appeared to have been bludgeoned, and blood was dripping from her mouth and nose.

The medical examiner testified that Pegues was killed by strangulation, which he estimated from her injuries would have required at least four to five minutes of moderate, constant pressure on the carotid artery or trachea, and would have taken even longer, if the pressure was applied intermittently. She had marks on both sides of her neck. The doctor also observed rows of bruising on her scalp, which were consistent, inter alia, with her being struck by the knuckles of a fist. In addition, she had a black eye and other abrasions that appeared to have occurred around the time of her death. The doctor testified that a person being strangled would have an “enormous amount of reaction,” such that the person applying pressure to the victim’s neck would know that they were cutting off the victim’s air supply. Forensic analysis demonstrated that blood samples taken from Room 518 matched both Pegues’ and Hamilton’s blood, or that of their identical twins.

Hamilton v. State

A witness's lack of personal knowledge regarding how business records were created went to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility.

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