Convicted murderer loses appeal in deadly beating of Rockdale County woman
In April 2019, Alfred Jermaine Arnold killed a Rockdale County woman. Now the Georgia Supreme Court has reaffirmed his conviction.
A Rockdale County jury indicted Arnold for the death of April Goolsby on charges of malice murder, felony murder predicated on aggravated assault, aggravated assault, arson and theft by taking.
He was found guilty on all counts in April 2023, but appealed his conviction, saying there wasn't enough evidence to support the guilty verdict.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
According to the Georgia Supreme Court, while Arnold filed a motion for a new trial, it was denied, and he appealed again due to claims that he wasn't properly informed of who prosecutors would bring to the stand before the trial.
On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled to affirm Arnold's conviction.
He remains convicted, found guilty of beating Goolsby to death on April 5 or April 6, 2019. Her body was not discovered until nearly a week later, when a neighbor went to check on Goolsby on April 12, 2019.
An investigation by the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office determined that Arnold had been staying at Goolsby's home for a few weeks after the two met at a 'liquor house' in Conyers, court records say.
TRENDING STORIES:
Evidence at Goolsby's home showed that she had been beaten to death and then a fire was lit before being extinguished by someone, leaving residue behind, prosecutors argued. Bloody clothes were found in the home, as well as blood spatter on the wall and what officers said was a carjack near Goolsby's body.
As for what led to the incident, Arnold told the court at trial that he and Goolsby had a 'bit of a confrontation,' and he was kicked out of the house.
The justices in the state's highest court determined that Arnold's claims over evidence and testimony as grounds for dismissal could not stand and his conviction was affirmed.
The court also found that Arnold had not provided enough evidence to meet the burden of proving his previous trial was deficient.
As a result, Arnold lost his appeal and will have to serve out a life sentence, plus six years to run concurrently. He is not eligible for parole.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responds to stranded boat at Hanna Park
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to a boat stranded on the shore at Hanna Park on May 24. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Officers quickly recovered the boat from the beach and successfully pushed it back into the sea. 'A beached boat can cause a hazard for beachgoers, not to mention a big expense for the boat's owner. Our officers went the extra mile to make sure that wasn't the case,' the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] As a reminder, JSO advised people to never forget boating safety equipment, sunscreen, and water to stay hydrated. 'And when the fun is done, remember to fully secure your boat. We don't want to feature your vessel in our next video,' said JSO. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man hides from police in retention pond after he ‘went to get a soda'
A man was arrested by police in a retention pond on Friday morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Around 430p.m., officers were checking on a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the WestSpring Inn in Westlake, CBS-affiliate WOIO reported. They saw a man driving around and stopped to talk with him. He told officers he was staying at the hotel. TRENDING STORIES: Deputies: Wood thrown at officers in high-speed chase; ends in wrong-way crash on I-75 Injuries reported after car slams into Miami County home Child, adult dead after being pulled from SUV that went into pond He stepped away from the officers, saying that he was going to 'get a soda' from the front desk area. Officers learned the man had a felony warrant. A person at the hotel told officers that the man had run across the roadway into a nearby wooded area. The man, who was found partially submerged in the retention pond with his hands under the water, was taken into custody. The man was charged with failure to comply and resisting arrest. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Porn shown in high school class in Henry County
Parents were shocked to discover pornography was shown during an online class for high school students. Police have launched an investigation. 'This is serious. Serious. And we need to get to the bottom of it,' parent Yolanda Pressley told Channel 2's Tom Jones. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Parents were stunned to hear Union Grove High students in a summer school online class received a lesson inappropriate for their young eyes. 'It's not something that should be in schools. More and more stuff happens like this everyday,' parent Derek Lofton said. The Henry County School System sent parents a message saying it is working with police to identify the individual who shared an inappropriate video in an online class. A spokesperson stated that technical information has been provided to the police to assist in the investigation, and the responsible person will be handled accordingly. 'Well they should take it as a serious matter, because it is,' Lofton said. Lofton said one of his daughters, who attends Union Grove High, informed him and his wife that pornography was shown. He hopes it wasn't a child who shared it as a prank. 'If it was a child we definitely have to raise them better than that. I don't know what to say. That's just a shame,' he said. Another parent said that pornography was displayed during his son's virtual math class at Union Grove High. Pressley, a longtime PTA volunteer, said the inappropriate video can be traumatizing to students. She said the school system needs to get to the bottom of how this happened. 'If someone got into the system we need a solution. How can we prevent that,' she said. The school system has reminded the school of best practices to prevent unknown or unauthorized users from entering virtual meetings. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
