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Ransom v. State

Evidence of the defendant's escalating obsession with the victim and threatening phone calls to her, as well as a kerosene-soaked, partially burned, mailing label addressed to the defendant found on top of the victim's air conditioning unit after a grass fire, supported the defendant's arson conviction.

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Davis Tremain Ransom was convicted of first degree arson, OCGA § 16-7-60 a, and stalking, OCGA § 16-5-90, and was sentenced to a total of 21 years, including 16 in prison.1 On appeal from the order denying his motion for a new trial, Ransom challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his arson conviction and the effectiveness of his trial counsel. Finding no error, we affirm. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence shows that the victim, Brenda Johnson, a 33-year-old civil engineer, lived in a home in Norcross with her three young daughters in July 2005, when she met Ransom while shopping at Kroger, where he worked. Ransom, who was 25 years old, pursued her in the store and gave her his telephone number. Johnson called him. Because Ransom earned little money and had no car, Johnson took him out and gave him rides to work on occasion. Johnson testified that Ransom expressed a romantic interest in her, which she did not share, and began to manipulate her into more frequent contact by claiming he needed rides to work. When she tried to end their relationship, he kept calling her. Johnson finally stopped taking his calls. He left messages, then stopped calling for several days.

Johnson’s friend, Timothy Goodloe, visited her throughout the following weekend, which was Labor Day weekend. On that Sunday, Ransom called Johnson around midnight from her neighbor’s phone. Ransom had told the neighbor that he needed the phone because his car had broken down. Seeing her neighbor’s number on the caller identification device, Johnson answered the call. Ransom said, “I know you have company. You need to come outside and talk to me.” Johnson described Ransom’s demeanor as angry, upset, and demanding. Frightened, Johnson asked Ransom what he was doing in her neighborhood and told him to leave.

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