State v. Williams

Summary

The court affirmed the orders granting Cleveland and Williams new trials because the trial court violated Georgia law by instructing the jury that particular witnesses were accomplices to specified counts, thereby expressing an opinion that the defendants were guilty. The error required a new trial automatically, regardless of the absence of an objection or other general instructions stating that the jury decided guilt. The court also held that the defendants could be retried on counts supported by constitutionally sufficient evidence, except for counts on which they had been acquitted.