307 Ga. 520
FINAL COPY
S19A1334. SPENCE v. THE STATE.
BOGGS, Justice.
Mary Ann Spence was convicted of malice murder in
connection with the death of Samuel Miller (“Samuel”), a 16-month-
old baby left in her care. She appeals, arguing that the evidence was
insufficient to support her murder conviction. She also argues that
the trial court erred both in permitting the State to improperly
bolster the testimony of an eyewitness and in not sua sponte
charging the jury on the defense of accident. We affirm.1
1 The victim was killed on April 3, 2011. On July 22, 2011, a Fulton
County grand jury indicted Spence for malice murder, three counts of felony
murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree, and cruelty
to children in the second degree. After a trial from January 8 to 16, 2013, the
jury found Spence guilty of all charges. The trial court sentenced Spence to
serve life in prison for malice murder. Although the trial court purported to
merge the three guilty verdicts for felony murder into the malice murder
conviction, the felony murder verdicts were actually vacated by operation of
law. See Malcolm v. State, 263 Ga. 369, 371 (4) (
434 SE2d 479) (1993).
Moreover, even though the trial court merged all of the remaining verdicts with
the malice murder conviction, we need not address the propriety of those
rulings because the State has not challenged them on appeal. See Dixon v.
State,
302 Ga. 691, 697-698 (4) (
808 SE2d 696) (2017). On February 8, 2013,
Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdicts, the evidence
presented at trial showed the following: In April 2011, Spence was
staying in an apartment in the Carver Homes community in Atlanta
with her daughter, Classie Fields, and Fields’ three children — her
five-year-old son J.P., her one-year-old son, and her nine-year-old
daughter. Jennifer Miller (“Miller”) — Fields’ best friend — was
staying with Fields at the time, along with her two children —
Samuel and his three-year-old sister.
At around 5:30 a.m. on April 3, 2011, Fields left her apartment
and went to work. Hours later, while Miller prepared to go to church,
Spence offered to stay at the apartment and watch all the boys,
because she recognized that they would be difficult to handle at
church. Miller accepted Spence’s offer and went to church along with
her daughter and Fields’ daughter.
Sometime between when Miller left for church and 12:45 p.m.,
Spence filed a motion for new trial, which she amended on July 30, 2015. After
an evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied the motion on March 21, 2018.
Spence filed a timely notice of appeal, and the case was docketed in this Court
for the August 2019 term and submitted for decision on the briefs.
2
J. P., who was in the apartment’s living room with his brother,
peered into one of the apartment’s bedrooms and saw Spence — his
grandmother — and a sobbing Samuel. According to J. P., Spence
picked Samuel up, shook him several times, and threw him down
onto a “hard” bed2 where he hit his head, causing his eyes to go “to
sleep.” Spence was the only adult in the apartment at that time.
At around 12:45 p.m., Spence abruptly entered the apartment
of Sharon Blackwell — her across-the-hall neighbor — and stated
that Samuel was unconscious. Spence stated that he had fallen and
hit his head earlier that day, and that she had already called 911.
Blackwell and Spence then returned to the apartment, where
Samuel was lying motionless on a futon in the living room and was
cold to the touch. Blackwell’s friend then came into the apartment
and attempted CPR, and after a while, another neighbor took over
resuscitative care. Spence then called 911. Paramedics transported
Samuel to an Atlanta children’s hospital, but, despite the efforts of
medical personnel, his heartbeat was never restored, and a doctor
2 J. P. testified that the bed “needed a new mattress.”
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declared him dead shortly after he arrived.
According to a responding police officer, upon her arrival, she
encountered Spence outside of Fields’ apartment. Spence then gave
the officer the following account: She was in a room in the back of
the apartment cleaning while Samuel, J. P., and J. P.’s little brother
were playing in the living room in the front of the apartment; she
heard Samuel crying, at which point she returned to the living room;
she concluded that Samuel had fallen and bumped his head on a
table; she picked him up, gave him a bottle of juice, and put him
down in one of the bedrooms for a nap; when she came back about
an hour later, she noticed that something was wrong with Samuel,
as he was unresponsive and was foaming at the mouth; she then
went next door to Blackwell’s apartment to get help. The officer
stated that she then asked J. P. — who was standing directly in front
of Spence — what had happened, and he started to answer but then
stopped mid-sentence and said “I don’t know.”
Spence also agreed to accompany an Atlanta Police detective
back to his office, where she gave a statement largely consistent with
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the account she gave to the responding police officer. However, this
time, she added that when she came into the living room to see why
Samuel was crying, he was holding his head, and J. P. stated that
Samuel had fallen. Spence also stated that, when she picked Samuel
up, gave him some juice, and put him down for a nap, his “breathing
was excellent.” Spence was not immediately arrested. In fact, the
police did not consider her a suspect in Samuel’s death until a
medical examiner (“ME”) performed an autopsy and ruled Samuel’s
death a homicide.
The ME found multiple bruises on Samuel’s chest, shoulder,
and chin, and noted that his face and head were quite swollen. He
determined that blunt force trauma to the head killed Samuel, and
that the “tremendous” blows to his head punched a hole in his skull
three-quarters-of-an-inch in diameter and caused complex fractures
across the surface of his skull. The ME opined that a five-year-old
could not have caused Samuel’s injuries, the multiple areas of
bruising and bleeding on his scalp indicated that his injuries were
inflicted by more than one blow, and he could not have sustained his
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injuries in the course of normal play or roughhousing, unless he had
fallen from the second story of a building or higher. He also opined
that Samuel likely could not have functioned after sustaining the
lethal blow. More specifically, he opined that Samuel could not have
consumed any juice after experiencing such a devastating head
injury.
A physician testified that he was on duty in the emergency
department of the children’s hospital when Samuel arrived. He
stated that Samuel was not breathing and his heart was not beating.
He examined Samuel’s head and noted that it was swollen,
asymmetrical, and “squishy.” He opined that based on the amount
of swelling, Samuel had suffered multiple head injuries. And
although he declined to say that, categorically speaking, no person
could sustain the same injuries that Samuel did and thereafter still
be conscious and have the capacity to function, he ultimately
deferred to the ME’s opinion on that issue. He also noted that
medical records showed that, in March 2011, Samuel came to the
clinic at the children’s hospital and was treated for a cold and viral
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mouth blisters. But he testified that, other than that incident, the
medical records did not indicate that Samuel had any irregular
medical appointments prior to April 2011.
A second physician testified that she provided care to Miller
and Samuel shortly after Samuel’s birth. She stated that Samuel’s
post-birth examinations were “completely normal.” Although she did
note that the medical records indicated that Miller may have
smoked cigarettes and marijuana while pregnant with Samuel, and
that Miller did not receive adequate prenatal care, she testified that
there was no evidence that Miller’s prenatal smoking negatively
affected Samuel’s skull.
Fields, Miller, and Samuel’s father all testified that Samuel
was a healthy boy prior to his death. Fields and Miller both stated
that, the night before his death, Samuel was behaving normally and
did not have any bruises. Samuel’s father testified that when he last
saw Samuel on March 16, 2011, he did not have any bruises on his
forehead or torso.
1. Spence argues that the evidence presented at trial was not
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sufficient to support her murder conviction. She contends that the
State’s case, which was entirely dependent on circumstantial
evidence, failed to exclude every reasonable hypothesis of her
innocence, including the possibilities that Samuel’s death was the
result of a preexisting physical ailment, a hard fall, or a tumble
which exacerbated a previously unknown physical condition. We
disagree.
When evaluating a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence
as a matter of constitutional due process, this Court views all of the
evidence presented at trial in the light most favorable to the verdicts
and asks whether any rational trier of fact could have found the
defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the crimes of which
he was convicted. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U. S. 307, 319 (III)
(B) (
99 SCt 2781, 61 LE2d 560) (1979). In addition, under Georgia
statutory law, see OCGA § 24-14-6, in order to convict Spence based
solely upon circumstantial evidence,
the proven facts had to be consistent with the hypothesis
of [her] guilt and exclude every reasonable hypothesis
save that of [her] guilt. Not every hypothesis is
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reasonable, and the evidence does not have to exclude
every conceivable inference or hypothesis; it need rule out
only those that are reasonable. The reasonableness of an
alternative hypothesis raised by a defendant is a question
principally for the jury, and when the jury is authorized
to find that the evidence, though circumstantial, is
sufficient to exclude every reasonable hypothesis save
that of the accused’s guilt, this Court will not disturb that
finding unless it is insupportable as a matter of law.
Cochran v. State, 305 Ga. 827, 829 (1) (
828 SE2d 338) (2019)
(citation and punctuation omitted).
Spence’s sufficiency arguments fail for two reasons. First, the
record does not support her contention that the State secured her
murder conviction solely upon circumstantial evidence. Quite to the
contrary, J. P. testified that he saw Spence slam Samuel onto a
“hard” bed, at which point Samuel’s eyes went “to sleep.” That was
direct evidence of Spence’s guilt.
Secondly, even if Spence’s murder conviction did rest only on
circumstantial evidence, the jury was presented with ample
circumstantial evidence on which to conclude that she was guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt of murder, and also that her hypotheses
of innocence were unreasonable. As summarized above, that
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evidence showed that Samuel generally was a healthy boy who —
while present in an apartment with two young children and Spence
— was suddenly killed by blunt force trauma so intense that it
punched a hole in his skull and immediately incapacitated him. The
evidence also showed that Samuel could not have sustained his
injuries from a fall unless he had fallen from the second story of a
building or higher, which Spence does not suggest occurred. Thus,
the jury was authorized to find Spence guilty of murder, and we will
not disturb the jury’s rejection of Spence’s hypotheses of innocence.
Cochran, 305 Ga. at 829 (1). We therefore conclude that the evidence
was sufficient to authorize the jury to find beyond a reasonable
doubt that Spence was guilty of murder. Jackson,
443 U. S. at 319.
2. Spence argues, for the first time on appeal, that the trial
court erred in permitting four witnesses to testify to prior
statements uttered by J. P. in the days and weeks following
Samuel’s death, which concerned Spence’s actions on the date in
question, as that amounted to improper bolstering of J. P.’s
testimony. She contends that the statements did not qualify as prior
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consistent statements admissible under OCGA §§ 24-8-801 (d) (1)
(A) and 24-6-613 (c). We conclude that the trial court did not plainly
err in this respect.
Because Spence did not object on this basis below, we review
these claims only for plain error, which requires Spence to make the
following four showings: (1) there was an error that she did not
affirmatively waive; (2) the error was obvious; (3) the error affected
her substantial rights, which means she must demonstrate that it
likely affected the outcome of her proceedings; and (4) the error
seriously affected the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of
judicial proceedings. OCGA § 24-1-103 (d). State v. Kelly, 290 Ga. 29,
33 (2) (a) (
718 SE2d 232) (2011).
Under our Evidence Code, a witness’ prior out-of-court
statement is admissible if
the declarant testifies at the trial or hearing, is subject to
cross-examination concerning the statement, and the
statement is admissible as a prior inconsistent statement
or a prior consistent statement under Code Section 24-6-
613 or is otherwise admissible under this chapter.
OCGA § 24-8-801 (d) (1) (A) (emphasis supplied).
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Spence cannot satisfy the third prong of plain error by showing
that any erroneously admitted statement of J. P. likely affected the
outcome of her trial. Even if not admissible as prior consistent
statements, at least two of J. P.’s prior statements were admissible
as excited utterances under OCGA § 24-8-803 (2), because they
related to a startling event — Samuel’s death — and were made
shortly after that event while J. P. “was under the stress of
excitement caused by [that] event.”3 At worst, then, the trial court
erroneously admitted only two prior statements of J.P. It is highly
unlikely that the two additional statements, even if presumed to
have been improperly admitted, affected the outcome of Spence’s
3 OCGA § 24-8-803 (2) provides that out-of-court statements “shall not
be excluded by the hearsay rule . . .” if they relate “to a startling event or
condition made while the declarant was under the stress of excitement caused
by the event or condition.” In this case, J. P. made two statements about
Spence’s actions on the day in question, both of which qualified as excited
utterances. First, J. P. told Fields mere hours after witnessing Samuel die that
he saw Spence shake Samuel and throw him onto a bed more than once.
Second, a neighbor who rushed into the apartment to perform CPR on Samuel
overheard J. P. say that Spence threw Samuel into a wall. See Robbins v. State,
300 Ga. 387, 389-390 (2) (
793 SE2d 62) (2016) (“It is the totality of the
circumstances, not simply the length of time that has passed between the event
and the statement, that determines whether a hearsay statement was an
excited utterance.”) (citation and punctuation omitted).
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trial in a manner that would satisfy the plain error standard, given
the strength of the independent circumstantial evidence of Spence’s
guilt.4 See Character v. State, 285 Ga. 112, 120 (6) (
674 SE2d 280)
(2009) (admission of witness’ prior consistent statement harmless
because State presented strong independent circumstantial
evidence of defendant’s guilt).
In short, because Spence has not shown that the trial court’s
allowing the State to elicit two of J. P.’s prior statements likely
affected the outcome of her trial, she has not established plain error.
See Kelly, 290 Ga. at 33 (2) (a).
3. Finally, Spence argues, also for the first time on appeal, that
the trial court plainly erred by not charging the jury sua sponte as
to her “sole defense” of accident. We disagree.
OCGA § 16-2-2 provides that no person shall “be found guilty
4 As discussed above, the evidence at trial showed that Samuel, who was
by all accounts a healthy boy on the date in question, died from “tremendous”
blows to the head while he was under the care of Spence alone – an undisputed
fact, the nature and severity of his injuries negated any reasonable inference
that either of the two small children present in the apartment caused those
injuries or that he sustained them by accident, and an expert witness explained
that Spence’s account of the events was inconsistent with the medical evidence.
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of any crime committed by misfortune or accident where it
satisfactorily appears there was no criminal scheme or undertaking,
intention, or criminal negligence.” “[T]o authorize a jury instruction
there need only be produced at trial slight evidence supporting the
theory of the charge.” State v. Newman, 305 Ga. 792, 796-797 (2) (a)
(
827 SE2d 678) (2019) (citation and punctuation omitted).
Here, even if Spence could show that the trial court obviously
erred in not charging the jury as to the defense of accident, she has
failed to carry her burden of demonstrating that any such error
likely affected the outcome of her case. See Kelly, 290 Ga. at 33 (2)
(a). As we have long noted, where, as here, the jury was fully charged
on the State’s burden to prove every element of the crime of murder
— including intent — and the jury finds the defendant guilty of
malice murder, the jury “could not have believed the victim’s death
to be the result of an act committed in the absence of criminal
intent.” Sears v. State,
290 Ga. 1, 4 (3) (
717 SE2d 453) (2011)
(citations and punctuation omitted). See also Phillips v. State,
247
Ga. 13, 13 (
273 SE2d 606) (1981) (trial court’s failure to give an
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accident instruction not reversible error because jury’s decision to
find defendant guilty of malice murder necessarily meant it found
that the defendant acted intentionally).
Under these circumstances, Spence has not shown that the
trial court’s failure to sua sponte charge the jury as to the defense of
accident likely affected the outcome of her case.5 Thus, she has failed
to demonstrate that the trial court plainly erred in this respect, and
we affirm her murder conviction.
Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur.
DECIDED DECEMBER 23, 2019.
Murder. Fulton Superior Court. Before Judge Campbell.
Edward V. C. Silverbach, for appellant.
Paul L. Howard, Jr., District Attorney, Lyndsey H. Rudder,
5 We also note that Spence did not explicitly assert an accident defense
at trial. In fact, during the State’s closing argument, she expressly rejected the
State’s suggestion that she was raising such a defense by stating “I don’t think
there was any argument about that it was an accident[,] and no evidence that
it was an accident. So I’m not understanding the State’s argument.” (Emphasis
supplied.)
15
David K. Getachew-Smith, Stephany J. Luttrell, Assistant District
Attorneys; Christopher M. Carr, Attorney General, Patricia B.
Attaway Burton, Deputy Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior
Assistant Attorney General, Matthew M. Youn, Assistant Attorney
General, for appellee.
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