Jackson v. State

Beasley, Judge.

Appellant claims as sole error that the trial court transgressed OCGA § 17-8-57 by intimating its opinion as to the guilt of the accused when the jury returned a premature verdict due to its misunderstanding of “unanimous,” and that a mistrial should have been granted because of the court’s transgression.

Appellant Jackson was arrested as he attempted to leave the apartment of an elderly woman whose next-door neighbor, after hearing a man’s voice speaking in threatening tones in the victim’s apartment, called police. Jackson was tried on charges of burglary, rape, and aggravated…