Supreme Court of Georgia
Palmer v. the State.
May 21, 2018814 S.E.2d 718
Summary
The court affirmed Palmer's convictions, holding that the trial court had no sua sponte duty to order another competency evaluation, properly denied severance, and did not err in rejecting Palmer's ineffective-assistance claims. The record showed a prior evaluation finding Palmer competent, no trial behavior creating a bona fide doubt about competency, minimal prejudice from the joint trial, and no deficient performance by counsel. The court also independently concluded that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions.