Crane v. State

Evidence that immediately prior to the shooting, the victim engaged the defendant in a dangerous road race, threatened to kill him, threw an object at the defendant's truck followed by an enraged demand that the defendant exit his truck; forcibly struck the defendant's car window two or three times; and taunted the defendant to shoot him supplied sufficient provocation to excite the passion necessary for voluntary manslaughter.

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A Gwinnett County jury convicted Steven Bradley Crane of a single count of voluntary manslaughter OCGA § 16-5-2. He filed a motion for new trial, which the trial court denied. Crane now appeals, arguing that i the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; ii the trial court erred in charging the jury on voluntary manslaughter; and iii the trial court erred in excluding his res gestae statements to a Gwinnett County District Attorney Office intern. Concluding that there was sufficient evidence to support his conviction and otherwise discerning no error, we affirm. Viewed in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict Drammeh v. State , 285 Ga. App. 545, 546 1 646 SE2d 742 2007, the evidence shows that on the morning of November 5, 2003, after receiving a call from Patrick Decesaro, Crane and his friend, Jason Waddell, went to Decesaro’s apartment with $2,000 with a view to purchasing some marijuana. Crane and Waddell were previously acquainted with Decesaro through mutual friends and had previously purchased marijuana from him. Shortly after they arrived, Crane and Waddell were assaulted and severely beaten by Decesaro, Braden Sams, and Nicholas Alsis. When they were able to break free and after Crane managed to recover their money, Crane and Waddell fled into some nearby woods. As they did so, Decesaro called Crane on his cell phone and threatened to kill him if he called the police.

Crane called Scott Friddell, a friend, to pick them up. When Friddell arrived, a very scared Crane and Waddell emerged from the woodline. Friddell testified that Crane was beaten up with cuts and scrapes, had a swollen face, and was bleeding profusely from a big gash on his head. Green also had injuries, including a swollen face. Friddell drove both men to Crane’s home because Crane and Waddell were too frightened to retrieve Crane’s truck from Decesaro’s apartment complex.

Crane v. State

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