Georgia Supreme Court Upholds Two Local Murder Convictions
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the convictions of two men on Tuesday, affirming the rulings of lower courts in separate murder cases.
Christopher Berry, convicted in 2017 for the malice murder of Cordeldrick Laquinn Brooks in Richmond County, had appealed his conviction on multiple grounds. Berry argued that the trial court had erred in denying his motion for a directed verdict and that his defense attorney was ineffective for failing to object to hearsay evidence presented during the trial. However, the state’s highest court disagreed, upholding the original verdict.
Berry’s conviction stems from an incident on September 22, 2015, when he and Brooks had a confrontation while driving to obtain marijuana. According to authorities, the situation escalated when Berry forced Brooks to strip, only allowing him to put his clothes back on minus his boxers, shoes, and socks. Later, at the intersection of Lumpkin and Old McDuffie Roads, Brooks crashed the car into a utility pole and attempted to flee on foot. Berry then shot and killed Brooks.
In a separate case, Quame Lamar Collins’ appeal for his Burke County convictions was also denied by the Georgia Supreme Court. Collins had been convicted in the 2017 armed robbery of Eddie Louis Grubbs, which led to the deaths of Grubbs and Marshall Jordan, along with injuries to Walter Smith. Collins contended that the evidence presented during the trial was insufficient to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He also argued that the trial court had erred in denying his request for a mistrial and in admitting certain hearsay statements.
The robbery occurred on January 23, 2017, when Collins, along with another accomplice, visited Grubbs’ mobile home under the pretense of a friendly visit. Once inside, the pair proceeded to a back room where Grubbs had been playing dominoes and began shooting. The violent attack resulted in the deaths of Grubbs and Jordan, and left Smith with serious injuries.
Both appeals were rejected, and the convictions were upheld by the Georgia Supreme Court, reinforcing the rulings of the lower courts in each case.
