Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating
new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help
the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm
to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.
Son
H. FLEMING
Next day
Son Fleming, 66, was sentenced to death in
January 1978 in Lanier County for the murder of Ray City Police Chief Ed
Giddens, 29.
The officer stopped a speeding car in February 1976, not
knowing the men inside had just pulled an armed robbery. It was Chief
Giddens' last day on the job he had intended to move to Florida.
Mr.
Fleming's brother was sentenced to life in prison. Henry Willis III, 36,
was sentenced to death, too, and he was executed May 18, 1989. Mr.
Fleming was the test case for the 1988 mental retardation exception for
the death penalty. He was returned to Lanier County in March 1991 for a
new sentencing trial.
Facts:
Appellant borrowed a red and white Ford car
from a friend on February 11, 1976. Around 10 or 10:30 p.m. that
day a grocery store in Adel (Cook County) was robbed by two
black males identified as Larry Fleming (appellant's nephew) and
Henry Willis. One robber was armed with a nickel-plated .22
caliber gun. The stolen money was stuffed in a paper sack, and a
carton of Kool cigarettes was also stolen.
The red and white Ford (apparently occupied
by two black males) passed through Ray City shortly after the
robbery, and aroused the suspicion of Chief Giddens, who had
heard of the robbery over his radio. Chief Giddens pursued the
car, and reported a description (including the license plate
number) of it by radio.
Minutes later Giddens' police car was
found abandoned by a friend with whom he had been talking prior
to the pursuit. Giddens' disappearance was reported, and at
12:30 a.m. the red and white car was stopped; its three black
male occupants (appellant, his nephew, and Willis) were arrested.
Giddens' .357 magnum pistol, a nickel-plated .22 revolver, a
brown sack of money, and a carton of Kool cigarettes were found
in the car.
Giddens' body was found in a pond in Lanier
County. He had been shot several times. Powder burns and the
patterns of ratshot from the .22 pistol indicated that some of
the wounds were made at a range of less than 18 inches. One
bullet recovered from the body was fired from Giddens' gun.
After his arrest appellant made a number of
statements. He initially stated that his nephew and Willis had
borrowed the car from him before the robbery, and that he did
not see them again until they picked him up shortly before the
arrest.
His next statement indicated that he had been
picked up after the robbery, but before the pursuit by Chief
Giddens. He stated that the three of them were stopped by
Giddens, and when the policeman attempted to search the car he
was overpowered and abducted by the other two.
Appellant claimed that he was forced to drive
the car while his nephew and Willis held Giddens at gunpoint.
After Giddens told them of his report of the license number of
the car, they drove to a remote area and let him out. When
Giddens ran in an attempt to escape, both Larry Fleming and
Willis shot at him. Giddens fell wounded into the nearby lake;
Larry Fleming and Willis followed him there. Appellant heard
additional shots. This statement also indicated that appellant
begged the other two not to kill Giddens, and that he acted only
out of fear of them.
The testimony of a fellow inmate at the Cook
County Jail indicated that appellant admitted driving the car
while the others robbed the store, and that it was appellant who
first shot at Giddens as he ran. At all times appellant has
denied having shot Giddens as he stood helpless in the water.
Appellant denied making this last statement to the fellow inmate.
Appellant's only evidence in defense was his
own testimony, in which he returned to his first story. In the
sentencing phase his counsel presented no additional evidence of
mitigating circumstances, relying on the evidence at the guilt
phase. Appellant's personal history sheet shows no convictions
for serious or violent crimes, and a long history of employment
(more than twenty years) in various jobs. He was 46 at the time
of the murder.
FLEMING v. THE STATE.
34192.
(243 Ga. 120)
(252 SE2d 609)
(1979)
MARSHALL, Justice.
Resentencing for murder. Cook Superior Court. Before Judge Lott.
The appellant, Son H. Fleming, was convicted
in the Lanier Superior Court of the murder of Police Chief James
Giddens of Ray City, Georgia. The jury imposed the death penalty,
finding two statutory aggravating circumstances: (1) "The
offense of murder was committed against Police Chief James
Edward Giddens, a police officer, while he was engaged in the
performance of his duties," Code Ann. 27-2534.1 (b) (5) (Ga. L.
1973, pp. 159, 163); and (2) "The offense of murder was
committed while the Defendant was engaged in the commission of
another capital felony, to wit: kidnapping of and bodily injury
to James Edward Gidens, a human being." Code Ann. 27-2534.1 (b)
(2).
On direct appeal to this court, the
appellant's murder conviction was affirmed, but his death
sentence was set aside, because the court had failed to make
clear to the jury that they could recommend a life sentence even
if they found the existence of a statutory aggravating
circumstance. See Fleming v. State, 240
Ga. 142 (240 SE2d 37) (1977). On remand, the appellant's
motion for change of venue as granted, and his retrial on the
question of punishment was held in the Cook Superior Court. The
jury again sentenced the appellant to death, finding the same
two statutory aggravating circumstances as found at his original
trial. This is the appeal. A factual summary of the case is
amply set out in Fleming v. State, supra, and will be repeated
here as is necessary for a consideration of the enumerations of
error raised.
1. In the first nd eighth enumerations of
error, the appellant contends that the evidence is insufficient
to support imposition of the death penalty. The real question
which these enumerations of error raise is whether the evidence
support the jury's finding of statutory aggravating
circumstances. See Code Ann. 27-2537 (c) (2) (Ga. L. 1973, pp.
159, 165).
The evidence presented at retrial on the
question of punishment was substantially the same as the
evidence presented at the original trial. This evidence
authorized the jury in finding that Larry Fleming, Henry Willis,
and the appellant were stopped by Police Chief Giddens after two
black males identified as Larry Fleming and Henry Willis had
robbed a grocery store in a car driven by the appellant. Giddens'
bullet-riddled body was later found. The testimony of a fellow
inmate at the Cook County jail indicated that the appellant
admitted driving the car while the others robbed the grocery
store, and that the appellant had participated in shooting
Giddens.
This enumeration of error is, accordingly,
without merit.
2. In the second enumeration of error, the
appellant argues that the trial court, in effect, coerced the
jury into returning a verdict by delaying providing the jurors
the evening meal, and by keeping the jury in session beyond a
normal working day.
A review of the transcript fails to disclose
any evidence to substantiate this argument. Nor does it appear
that the appellant raised any objection to this at trial. We,
therefore, find this enumeration of error to be without merit.
3. The third enumeration of error, in which
the appellant argues that the death penalty constitutes cruel
and unusual punishment, is also without merit. See Gregg v.
Georgia, 428 U. S. 153 (96 SC 2909, 49 LE2d 859) (1976).
4. In the fourth enumeration of error, the
appellant argues that under Code Ann. 27-2503 (Ga. L. 1974, pp.
352, 357), only the jury trying the issue of guilt or innocence
can sentence the accused to death. Thus, the appellant argues
that since the court set aside the death sentence imposed by the
jury returning a verdict of guilty on the murder charge, he
could not subsequently be given the death penalty.
The argument made by the appellant in this
enumeration of error has been decided adversely to him in Miller
v. State, 237 Ga. 557 (229 SE2d 376)
(1976), where it was held that a new sentencing trial can
be held before a new jury where the jury convicting the accused
also sentences him to death and the death sentence is set aside
on appeal due to some error infecting the sentence.
5. In the fifth and seventh enumerations of
error, the appellant argues that the trial court erred in
failing to make clear to the jury that they could recommend a
life sentence, for any reason whatsoever, without making a
finding of mitigating circumstances.
6. In the sixth enumeration of error, the
appellant argues that the trial court erred in allowing the
state to read to the jury the testimony of a witness at the
prior trial without showing that this witness was legally
inaccessible, within the meaning of Code 38-314.
There was no objection made to the
admissibility of this testimony at trial, and the defendant can
not complain of the admissibility of testimony for the first
time on appeal. Mallory v. State, 230 Ga.
657 (2) (198 SE2d 677) (1973); Starr v. State,
229 Ga. 181 (190 SE2d 58) (1972).
This enumeration of error is without merit.
7. Finally, we must determine whether the
sentence of death was imposed under the influence of passion,
prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor (Code Ann. 27-2537 (c)
(1)) and whether the sentence of death is excessive or
disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases,
considering both the crime and the defendant. Code Ann. 27-2537
(c) (3).
We find no evidence that the sentence of
death was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or
any other arbitrary factor. The verdict is factually
substantiated.
In reviewing the death penalty in this case,
we have considered the cases appealed to this court since
January 1, 1970, in which death or life sentences were imposed
and find the similar cases listed in the appendix support the
affirmance of the death penalty in this case. Son H. Fleming's
sentence to death is not excessive or disproportionate to the
penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crimes
and the defendant.
Edward Parrish, Benjamin Zeesman, for appellant.
ARGUED NOVEMBER 13, 1978 -- DECIDED JANUARY 24,
1979 -- REHEARING DENIED FEBRUARY 14, 1979.