Georgia Supreme Court turns down 2 local killers’ appeals
ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the appeals of two CSRA killers – a woman who itted to a murder at an Augusta hotel and a suspect who gunned down his victim at a Thomson car wash.
The Augusta case of Leslie Harris
Leslie Harris pleaded guilty to the Oct. 5, 2017, murder of Michael Anthony Davenport at a Ramada Inn in the 2100 block of Gordon Highway.
The ruling says Harris and Davenport were in a tumultuous relationship “highlighted by Harris’s physical abuse of Davenport and Davenport’s infidelity.”
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He was found dead in a hotel room after Davenport reportedly told his family “he was ending the relationship for good at this point,” according to the ruling.
Harris wanted to take back her guilty pleas to felony murder, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
She said certain mental health issues had prevented her from entering a knowing and voluntary plea.
However, the Supreme Court found she entered the pleas of her own free will and knowing the consequences,
She’s now serving two concurrent life sentences plus a consecutive five years at Pulaski State Prison.
The Thomson case of Ricquavious Tarver
In the Thomson case, Ricquavious Tarver fatally shot Roosevelt Demmons on Aug. 27, 2016, inside a bay at CC’s Car Wash.
Tarver was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for felony murder, followed by five years for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
He asked for a new trial, but his motion was denied on Nov. 27, 2023.
The Supreme Court affirmed that decision.
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Tarver challenged the trial court’s decision to exclude evidence of his knowledge of Demmons’ past violent acts toward others.
“We conclude that it is highly probable that the exclusion of the proffered evidence did not contribute to the verdict, and any error was harmless,” the Supreme Court said in its opinion.
Tarver also said the trial court abused its discretion in not allowing him to play his video-recorded interview with police, with the court saying “it would be self-serving and hearsay.”
He’d sought to play it “to show the jury his tone of voice, the degree of emotion shown, his forthrightness rather than deflections and evasions when talking about the shooting.”
Any error was harmless in light of the other evidence that showed Tarver was cooperative, the Supreme Court ruled, noting that one officer described Tarver as “cooperative as can be.”
Tarver is serving his sentence at Dooly State Prison.
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