Frankie Bishop Burns was convicted by a jury of felony murder and aggravated assault in connection with the shooting death of James Gregory Patrick.1 On appeal from the denial of his motion for new trial, Burns challenges several evidentiary rulings of the trial court. Finding no reversible error, we affirm. Viewed in a light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence shows that throughout the day on October 20, 2002, Patrick, a crack cocaine addict, made several cash withdrawals in order to purchase crack. Later that evening Patrick told his wife he was going to buy headache powder. Rather than doing so, however, Patrick drove to Commerce, Georgia, in his blue Mustang GT, where he stole $40 worth of crack from Willie Moon. On the morning of October 20, Nancy Hancock, the co-defendant, was at her home on Cedar Drive when she received a .380 automatic handgun from Shane Rogers, who was attempting to sell it. That same day, several witnesses spotted Burns on Cedar Drive. Felicia Harris saw Burns attempting to sell a black handgun in the morning. Later that evening, Quentin Harris saw Burns and Hancock together, attempting to sell a black handgun; he subsequently saw Burns alone with the gun. Harris and his uncle, Michael Rakestraw, also saw Burns later that night walking down Cedar Drive wearing a trench coat. Shortly thereafter, Rakestraw and Harris saw Patrick’s blue Mustang come around the curve of Cedar Drive and watched as Burns waved the car down. Patrick turned his car around and headed back in the direction of Burns, Rakestraw, and Harris. Rakestraw and Harris then heard Burns and Patrick arguing through the open passenger window of the Mustang. Although Patrick slowed the car down, he never came to a complete stop. Burns managed to lean inside the passenger window and demanded Patrick stop the car. Rakestraw and Harris then heard two gunshots. Rakestraw then watched as Burns pulled himself out of the window and ran back toward him through the yard and into the woods yelling, “I believe I shot him.”
Patrick’s car shut off, the ignition started briefly again, and then rolled to a nearby ditch where it finally stopped. Willie Moon, lying about his identity, called 911 around 11:30 p.m. and told the police there had been an automobile accident. When the police located the vehicle, Patrick was slumped over in the seat, dead, having sustained one gunshot wound to his right side. In the vehicle, the police found .380 caliber shell casings, a soft drink can that had been used to smoke crack, several ATM and Wal-Mart receipts, and a two-tone gray button on the passenger floorboard.
