People v. Bainter

The defendant, Richard Bainter, was convicted of theft of property having a value in excess of $150 following a jury trial in the circuit court of Fulton County. On appeal, he raises the following issues: (1) whether his attorney labored under a per se conflict of interest where defense counsel had previously represented the State’s chief witness in a prosecution for the same offense; (2) whether the defendant effectively waived any such conflict; (3) whether the allegedly improper comments by the prosecutor during closing argument denied the defendant a fair trial; and (4) whether the trial…