Challenge to Felony Murder Conviction Fails in Case of Child's Cocaine Death

Justice Nels Peterson, Georgia Supreme Court (Photo: Ashley Stolar)

In the appeal lodged by a mother whose baby died after eating cocaine dropped from the family sofa, the Georgia Supreme Court has rejected an argument that there was insufficient evidence of a connection between the underlying drug charge and felony murder.

Justice Nels Peterson, writing for a unanimous court, ruled in the case of Stephanie Stephens that the “facts support the unmistakable conclusion” that 14-month-old Jewell Williams “ingested the deadly dose of cocaine after finding it in the place where [her parents] stored it to sell to others.”

Peterson quoted from the court's opinion previously upholding the felony murder conviction of father and co-defendant Anthony Williams. “Accordingly, the evidence is sufficient to support Stephens's conviction for felony murder arising out of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.”