The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life prison sentence of a Forsyth County man in the murder of his father in 2009, refusing his request for a new trial.
Kevin Randolph Puckett was convicted in August 2012 on charges of malice murder, felony murder predicated on aggravated assault and family violence aggravated assault in the shooting death of Luther Puckett. Kevin Puckett was sentenced to life in prison on the murder conviction plus 20 years for the family violence aggravated assault conviction.
Kevin Puckett shot his father six times after the two argued over brownies that Irene Puckett, Kevin's mother and Luther's wife, had prepared for dinner. Irene Puckett was not home at the time of the shooting, but Kevin Puckett's son, age 3, was there and witnessed the murder. The child was able to testify at trial.
In his latest motion for a new trial, Puckett said the trial court erred by allowing as evidence a photo taken by police the night of the murder. That photo depicted several books on a bookshelf in Puckett's bedroom at the home he shared with his parents. There were two crime-related books on the shelf, which appeared in the photo, that Puckett claimed could have influenced the jury to believe he had an interest in killing people. The Justices ruled there was no harm that resulted from the photograph.
Puckett also claimed the trial court should not have allowed testimony from a licensed psychologist who treated his son after the murder. The Justices also disagreed with that assertion.
To read the full content of the case, follow this link to the Supreme Court of Georgia web site.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/5/673023/scoga-upholds-conviction-and-life-sentence-in-forsyth-county-murder-case