S26A0426, S26A0427
Ga.
Jun 16, 2026
Read the full case

Background

  • Collins and Hughley were convicted after a second jury trial for felony murder, hijacking a motor vehicle, aggravated assault, firearm possession, and street-gang offenses arising from Bradley Coleman’s shooting death at a Gwinnett County gas station. 1
  • Surveillance video showed a black Mercedes with the assailants park beside Coleman’s car, one assailant enter Coleman’s car, and another approach with a gun before Coleman was shot in the head. 2
  • Police tied the Mercedes to a rental car obtained by Collins and Booker, and CSLI placed Collins, Hughley, and Booker near the gas station and later near the rental-car return location. 3
  • DNA from blood on a surgical mask found near Coleman’s body matched Hughley, and Coleman’s empty holster and a 9mm casing were found at the scene. 4
  • Hughley’s redacted interview admitted he shot Coleman and contained no mention of Collins or Booker. 5
  • An expert testified that the co-defendants were Bloods gang members and that the charged crimes benefited gang status, and gang-activity evidence was admitted against all defendants. 6

Issues

Issue Plaintiff's Argument Defendant's Argument Held
Evidence sufficiency for Collins’s hijacking conviction 7 Collins said the State failed to show an attempt to obtain Coleman’s vehicle. The State said Collins acted as a party to the hijacking. Sufficient evidence supported Collins’s hijacking conviction as a party to the crime. 8
Failure to charge accomplice corroboration 9 Collins claimed the jury needed an accomplice-corroboration instruction. Collins affirmatively waived the instruction. Any error was waived; no plain error. 10
Bruton challenge to Hughley statement 11 Collins argued Hughley’s statement implicated him in the car-theft intent. The redacted statement contained no such reference. No record support for a Bruton violation; claim failed. 12
Aggravated-assault jury instruction variance 13 Collins said the court charged an unindicted manner of aggravated assault. Any error did not likely affect the verdict. No plain error; verdict likely rested on the shooting itself. 14
Lenity and sentence on hijacking count 15 Collins sought the ten-year attempt sentence instead of the hijacking sentence. The hijacking statute is the specific statute and controls. Lenity did not apply; 20-year hijacking sentence affirmed. 16
Hughley sufficiency, ineffective assistance, and juror oath 17 Hughley challenged force evidence, suppression, and oath deviation. The evidence was sufficient, the confession was voluntary, and oath error was waived. All Hughley claims failed; convictions affirmed. 18

Key Cases Cited

  • Bruton v. United States, 391 U.S. 123 (U.S. 1968) (confrontation clause bar on certain codefendant statements 19)
  • Jones v. State, 304 Ga. 594 (Ga. 2018) (constitutional sufficiency reviewed in the light most favorable to the verdict 20)
  • Davis v. State, 316 Ga. 418 (Ga. 2023) (appellate courts defer to the jury on credibility and weight 21)
  • Powell v. State, 291 Ga. 743 (Ga. 2012) (party-to-a-crime liability requires proof the defendant was a party to the offense 22)
  • Badie v. State, _ (Ga. 2026) (common criminal intent may be inferred from presence, companionship, and conduct 23)
  • Ward v. State, 376 Ga. App. 659 (Ga. Ct. App. 2025) (elements of first-degree motor-vehicle hijacking 24)
  • Stitts v. State, 323 Ga. 109 (Ga. 2025) (plain-error standard and waiver principles 25)
  • Szorcsik v. State, 303 Ga. 737 (Ga. 2018) (requested omission of a charge can be affirmative waiver 26)
  • Holmes v. State, 318 Ga. 213 (Ga. 2024) (withdrawing a requested instruction is affirmative waiver 27)
  • Soto v. State, 303 Ga. 517 (Ga. 2018) (appellant must show error affirmatively by the record 28)
  • Taylor v. State, 315 Ga. 630 (Ga. 2023) (court will not cull the record or make arguments for appellant 29)
  • Gude v. State, 320 Ga. 308 (Ga. 2024) (instruction on unindicted method of crime usually not plain error where indictment and burden instructions were given 30)
  • Cato v. State, 304 Ga. 496 (Ga. 2018) (same plain-error analysis for unindicted method instruction 31)
  • Simpson v. State, 302 Ga. 875 (Ga. 2017) (same plain-error analysis for unindicted method instruction 32)
  • Smallwood v. State, 310 Ga. 445 (Ga. 2020) (specific statute prevails over general statute; lenity not implicated 33)
  • Sosebee v. State, 317 Ga. 424 (Ga. 2023) (lenity applies only after traditional statutory construction leaves ambiguity 34)
  • State v. Nankervis, 295 Ga. 406 (Ga. 2014) (specific criminal statute controls over general statute 35)
  • Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (U.S. 1984) (deficient performance and prejudice standard for ineffective assistance 36)
  • Moss v. State, 322 Ga. 757 (Ga. 2025) (failure-to-suppress ineffectiveness requires showing the motion clearly would have succeeded 37)
  • Lewis v. State, 311 Ga. 650 (Ga. 2021) (hope-of-benefit rule concerns promises of reduced punishment 38)
  • Short v. State, 321 Ga. 613 (Ga. 2025) (noncommittal cooperation comments are not promises of reduced punishment 39)
  • Mitchell v. State, 314 Ga. 566 (Ga. 2022) (officer’s vague plea-arrangement comments were not improper promises 40)
  • Gober v. State, 247 Ga. 652 (Ga. 1981) (deviation from voir-dire oath is waived absent objection 41)
  • Hargett v. State, 285 Ga. 82 (Ga. 2009) (voir-dire oath deviation requires objection; harm not presumed 42)
  • Phillips v. State, 275 Ga. 595 (Ga. 2002) (deviation from trial-jury oath is waived absent objection 43)
  • Slaughter v. State, 100 Ga. 323 (Ga. 1897) (complete failure to administer the trial jury oath is jurisdictional and nonwaivable 44)
  • Bowman v. State, 315 Ga. 707 (Ga. 2023) (complete failure to give the trial jury oath is a jurisdictional defect 45)
Read the full case