Slaughter v. State

Summary

The Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed Donna Slaughter’s convictions for malice murder, concealing the death of another, felony tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The court held that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions and that the trial court properly denied a mistrial after the jury briefly heard a reference to a polygraph examination, particularly because the court issued a curative instruction.

Holdings

1. The evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to find Slaughter guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the crimes for which she was convicted.
2. The trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying a mistrial where the jury heard only that Slaughter had taken a polygraph test, heard no reference to the test results, and received an immediate curative instruction.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support Slaughter's convictions.
2. Whether the trial court erred by denying Slaughter's motion for mistrial after the jury heard a reference to her having taken a polygraph test during playback of her videotaped confession.

Disposition

affirmed