Major v. State

Following a jury trial, Troy Major appeals his convictions for murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict.1 We affirm. In the light most favorable to the verdict, the record shows that, on the evening of August 30, 2000, Mark Dermond and Grady Harris drove to the Neal Street area of Atlanta to purchase drugs. Paula Heard immediately approached Dermond’s car and asked him to buy a rock of crack cocaine for her. Walter Thomas Martin then approached the car to sell the drugs to Dermond. At that time, Major and his co-defendant, Cedric Mansa, approached the vehicle. Major walked to the driver’s side of the car where Dermond was sitting, demanded his money, and shot him multiple times. Later, Martin testified that he had observed Major carrying a gun, and both Heard and Mansa identified Major as the shooter. Dermond died as a result of gunshot wounds, and Harris was injured.

This evidence was ample upon which the jury could conclude that Major was guilty of the crimes for which he had been convicted beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307 99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560 1979. Major’s contention that the evidence was conflicting and that the witnesses who testified for the state were not credible does not change this result, as “resolving evidence conflicts and inconsistencies, and assessing witness credibility, are the province of the factfinder, not this Court.” Hampton v. State , 272 Ga. 284, 285 1 527 SE2d 872 2000.