Beam v. State

Hines, Justice.

Steven Beam was convicted of the malice murder of an Atlanta taxicab driver, Oruada Opkani, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Through the testimony of a female companion in the victim’s taxicab with Beam, the State presented evidence that Beam pulled out a handgun and told the victim that he was “going to have to take [him] out. . . .” During the struggle that ensued between the victim and Beam, the victim was shot eight times at close range with two guns. The six frontal wounds suffered by the victim were caused by .38 caliber hollow-point bullets, and the two shots to the…