No. 25-6135

Sonya Fuller v. Georgia

Lower Court: Georgia
Docketed: 2025-11-17
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response WaivedIFP
Tags: aiding-and-abetting criminal-conviction due-process felony-murder jackson-standard sufficiency-of-evidence
Key Terms:
DueProcess
Latest Conference: 2026-01-09
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a conviction for felony murder is permissible under Jackson where the prosecution presented no evidence that the defendant planned, knew about, participated in, or encouraged the felony?

Question Presented (from Petition)

This is a felony -murder case that divided the Georgia Supreme Court with respect to the proper application of Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979). Three justices stated that the evidence against Petitioner Sonya Fuller was insufficient to support her conviction. Two additional justices stated that the evidence “just barely” passed constitutional muster. Even the majority opinion recognized that “ the evidence of Fuller’s guilt was not strong.” App. 3a. It was undisputed at trial that Petitioner Fuller did not kill the decedent. Instead, Fuller’s son killed the decedent by shooting him, and the State’s theory was that Fuller aided and abetted in the shooting —an aggravated assault that could support a conv iction for felony murder. However, as the dissent below noted, “ The State presented no evidence that Fuller planned, knew about, participated in, or even encouraged [the] shooting.” App. 5a (Warren, Pinson, Bethel, JJ., dissenting). Nevertheless, Fuller wa s convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Fuller’s son, the shooter, has since won reversal of his conviction and entered a new guilty plea for a sentence of 25 years. Meanwhile, Fuller remains in prison on her sentence of life without parole. The question presented is this: Whether a conviction for felony murder is permissible under Jackson where the prosecution presented no evidence that the defendant planned, knew about, participated in, or encouraged the felony?

Docket Entries

2026-01-12
Petition DENIED.
2025-12-04
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/9/2026.
2025-12-01
Waiver of Georgia of right to respond submitted.
2025-12-01
Waiver of right of respondent Georgia to respond filed.
2025-11-12
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due December 17, 2025)
2025-09-16
Application (25A302) granted by Justice Thomas extending the time to file until November 12, 2025.
2025-09-11
Application (25A302) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from October 13, 2025 to November 12, 2025, submitted to Justice Thomas.

Attorneys

Georgia
John Henry Tab ThompsonGeorgia Department of Law, Respondent
John Henry Tab ThompsonGeorgia Department of Law, Respondent
Sonya Fuller
Michael Boland AdmirandSouthern Center for Human Rights, Petitioner
Michael Boland AdmirandSouthern Center for Human Rights, Petitioner