Following a jury trial and the denial of his motion for new trial, Elijah Bowe in Case No. A07A2448 appeals from a conviction on three counts of armed robbery and one count of burglary, contending that the trial court erred in denying his motion to sever his trial from that of his co-defendant, Donald Baker. Baker in Case No. A07A2449, following the denial of his motion for new trial, appeals his conviction on five counts of armed robbery and one count of burglary, contending that 1 the evidence was insufficient to convict him, 2 the trial court erred in denying his motion to sever his trial from Bowe’s, and 3 the trial court erred in denying his motion to sever offenses. In the interest of judicial economy, we have consolidated our review of these cases. Discerning no reversible error in Case No. A07A2448 Bowe v. State , we affirm, because Bowe was able to fully present his defense without unduly prejudicing Baker. However, in Case No. A07A2449 Baker v. State , we must reverse because the trial court’s failure to sever the trials prevented Baker from introducing competent evidence in support of his defense, which defense was antagonistic to Bowe. “On appeal from a criminal conviction, the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to support the verdict, and the defendant no longer enjoys a presumption of innocence; moreover, an appellate court determines evidence sufficiency and does not weigh the evidence or determine witness credibility.” Punctuation omitted. Eady v. State .1
So viewed, the evidence shows that on the evening of February 22, 2005, as Michael Brawner drove home from buying cigarettes, he was blocked in by an unfamiliar car. Two masked men in dark clothes jumped out, one with a shotgun and one with a pistol, and ordered Brawner to the ground. While the man with the shotgun went through Brawner’s pockets and took money and identification, the man with the pistol acted as lookout. After threatening and hitting Brawner, the two men noticed an approaching van and fled, taking Brawner’s vehicle. Brawner ran to a nearby house where he called police, who eventually found his vehicle, which had been damaged and was missing a wheel, a DVD player, a stereo, and several speakers. After Baker later called police with information about the robbery and identified himself, police recovered most of the missing items from Baker’s home and returned them to Brawner.
