Height v. State

A witness's passing reference to a couple of potential cases against the defendant did not put his character in evidence.

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Marvin Lee Height was convicted of murder in the January 2001 beating death of Lorange Wood.1 For the reasons that follow, we affirm. 1. In his first enumeration of error, Height contends that the evidence presented was insufficient to show that he was responsible for Wood’s death. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence adduced at trial reflects that on January 3, 2001, Wood was found beaten to death inside the gas station store he owned and operated in Dudley, Georgia. He was last seen alive on the previous day at approximately 3:00 p.m. at a local bank, where he cashed a check and requested payment in ten dollar denominations. Shortly after that time, a customer visited the gas station, where the truck Wood had driven to the bank was parked, but left after Wood failed to emerge to pump her gas. Another customer then arrived and, while waiting for a response to his knock at the door of the store, encountered Height, an employee at Wood’s store, who told the customer that Wood was asleep. After Wood’s body was discovered the following day, a Department of Corrections K-9 dog led investigators from the crime scene to a nearby wooded area, where investigators found weapons used in the crime, and then directly to a nearby mobile home in which Height resided. Approximately one week later, Height voluntarily approached police and made statements indicating knowledge about details of the crime that had not been released to the public, on the basis of which police obtained a search warrant and found a wallet containing 25 ten dollar bills in Height’s trailer. After his arrest, Height confessed to the crime in an account consistent with the evidence uncovered in the investigation.

The evidence was clearly sufficient for the jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Height was guilty of Wood’s murder. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979.

Height v. State

A witness's passing reference to a couple of potential cases against the defendant did not put his character in evidence.

Share with Email

Thank you for sharing!

Trending Stories

More From ALM

Subscribe to Daily Report