Williams v. State

A jury found Franklin Williams guilty of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, possessing marijuana with intent to distribute, and selling marijuana. Williams moved for a new trial, raising, among other things, ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Following a hearing, the trial court denied the motion. Williams now appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence, asserting that the indictment was procedurally flawed, and again claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. For reasons that follow, we affirm.

1. On appeal, we do not weigh the evidence or determine witness credibility.1 Rather, “we review the evidence presented at trial in the light most favorable to support the jury’s verdict and determine whether this evidence was sufficient to authorize a rational trier of fact to find Williams guilty of each element of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.”2 Viewed in this light, the record shows that on November 13, 1996, the Southeast Georgia Drug Task Force conducted an undercover narcotics operation in Ware County. As part of that operation, undercover officer Jason Dupont purchased 16 grams of marijuana at a home on Barnar Lane from an individual introduced to him as “Frank.” At trial, Dupont identified Williams as the “Frank” who sold him the marijuana.