Following a jury trial, Derek Horne was convicted of malice murder and various other crimes arising from an armed robbery at a Church’s Fried Chicken store, and the fatal shooting of one of its employees.1 We agree with Horne’s contention on appeal that the trial court erred in allowing the prosecution, in the presence of the jury, to propound a lengthy series of leading questions to Horne’s co-indictee who refused to testify under a grant of immunity, but we conclude that, under the circumstances, the error is harmless. The remaining enumerations of error are without merit. Viewed in a light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence established that Sean Abraham and Ammon Crawford, two managers of the Church’s store, were preparing to close the store at about 5:30 a.m. on the day in question. As they set the burglar alarm and exited the building, they were forced back inside by Horne and co-indictee, Charles Hill, both of whom were carrying guns, wearing bandanas over their faces, and hoods over their heads.2 Horne and Hill held the employees at gunpoint and demanded money from them. At that point, the burglar alarm sounded and all the men fled into the street. Crawford was able to get into his vehicle and drive away from the scene. Abraham attempted to escape on foot, but Horne gave chase. Moments later, Abraham ran up to a woman seated in a parked vehicle and frantically shouted, “He’s trying to kill me. Can you please help” The woman then saw a tall, slender man round a corner and approach her car with a gun in his hand.3 He was wearing what appeared to be an army fatigue jacket with a hooded top pulled around his face, revealing his eyes. She positively identified Horne in court as the assailant. The witness saw Horne hold the gun to Abraham’s head and order him away from the vehicle and into the street. As she drove away to summon help, she observed through her rear view mirror that Horne had forced Abraham onto his knees and she heard Abraham pleading for his life; a gunshot followed.
At the same time, another eyewitness in a parked vehicle heard angry conversation, and then observed a tall, dark complected, African-American man holding a gun to the head of the victim. She described the assailant as wearing a hooded garment pulled tightly around his face revealing only his eyes, nose and lips.
