Smith v. State

Melton, Justice.

Following a jury trial in these consolidated cases, Sonya and Joseph Smith were found guilty of felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and reckless conduct based on the couple’s treatment of their eight-year-old son, Josef, which led to the child’s death.1 In Case No. S10A1281, Sonya Smith claims, among other things, that the trial court erred in allowing the prosecutor to make an improper closing argument, and that her trial counsel was ineffective. In Case *349No. S10A1282, Joseph Smith claims that the evidence was…