A convicted felon sentenced to life for his part in the murder of a Habersham man is now appealing that ruling. William Douglas Downer was sentenced to life after he was indicted in the 2012 murder of Larry Hill of Cornelia.
Downer was one of two men charged with murder after Hill’s body was found burned in August 2012. It was later determined that Hill was beaten to death. Downer and his accomplice, Albert Buford Brown, were both indicted on charges of burglary, armed robbery and aggravated assault. A trial court acquitted Downer of malice murder but convicted him of the remaining crimes and sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus 20 consecutive years.
Now Downer is saying that he was wrongfully convicted based on the uncorroborated testimony of Brown. The Georgia Supreme Court now says that Down is claiming “insufficient evidence to sustain his convictions.” He also argues that the trial court made several other errors, including not suppressing his statements to law enforcement officers while in custody, permitting hearsay testimony from Brown’s wife, not granting a new trial after the State withheld evidence about the state-arranged wedding between Brown and his wife that could have been used to impeach them as witnesses, and denying Downer’s post-trial motion for DNA testing of the murder weapon.
The Georgia Supreme Court has issued a statement regarding Downer’s claims. “The State, represented on appeal in this case by the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, argues that the evidence was sufficient to support Downer’s convictions and that any error related to testimony by the trial court was harmless and does not warrant a reversal.” The State also commented on the other claims, saying that an arranged wedding for Brown and his wife was not material. They also say that the trial court properly denied Downer’s post-trial motion for DNA testing.
The oral arguments are set to take place in Georgia Supreme Court on Wed., May 18.
