A life prison sentence remains in place for a White County man convicted in the 2012 murder of his cousin.
The Georgia Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday morning stating that there was sufficient evidence to convict Douglas Goodson in the shooting death of his cousin Rodney Worley. The high court also disagreed with Goodson's claim that he received ineffective counsel from his attorney.
Goodson was convicted of shooting Worley multiple times after the two argued over a target shooting incident in Goodson's back yard on Oct. 14, 2012.
Goodson was indicted on Jan. 8, 2013 on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Goodson went to trial on March 23, 2015. He was acquitted on the malice murder charge, but convicted on the remaining charges. On April 24, 2015, Goodson was sentenced to life in prison on the felony murder conviction and five consecutive years in prison for the firearm possession charge. The aggravated assault charge was merged with the other charges.
In the years following his conviction, Goodson has asked for a new trial and been denied. His latest appeal was filed on April 19, 2018.
In Monday's decision, the justices issued the following statement as part of their ruling:
"Goodson has failed to show the evidence was insufficient to convict and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed."
The decision to affirm the trial court decision was unanimous.
To see the full content of the Georgia Supreme Court ruling, follow this link.
