Life sentences upheld in murder, armed robbery convictions

Local prosecutors scored wins in the state’s highest court after two additional cases this month were denied hearings by Georgia’s Supreme Court.

Meaning that sentences handed down in those cases will stand, and those convicted will remain behind bars.

Three cases in total went up before the state’s highest court seeking hearings, but all three were denied those opportunities – including two different murder convictions. Among those was Roe Bowman, seeking to overturn his murder conviction who was rejected.

Also among the list is a case more than 10 years old involving the murder of Desmond Kinnemore in Rockmart in January 2013.

Demon Wilson was seeking to overturn the conviction handed down by a Polk County Jury in 2018, where retired Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge Michael Murphy sentenced Wilson to life without parole for the crime.

Wilson was seeking to overturn his conviction claiming the evidence could have supported several different theories about how Kinnemore died, and what the state presented was circumstantial. The justices rejected this, noting the evidence connected together enough to put Wilson at the scene of the crime, with a weapon used, despite police not recovering the murder weapon. Shell casings inside of a red Cadillac Wilson was driving matched those found in his residence and later matched the type of ammunition used to murder Kinnemore.

A witness did see the events occur, and testified in the trial about the gruesome murder.

“…We conclude that the evidence presented at trial authorized the jury to reject as unreasonable Wilson’s alternative hypotheses,” the court filed in an opinion, available here.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jaeson Smith – starting in January the District Attorney – defended the state’s position in the appeal. He said a lot of work went into ensuring the job was done correctly and the convictions upheld from many in the office – including District Attorney Jack Browning.

“The hundreds of hours involved in the appellate process can be quite daunting,” Smith said. “However, this process is very rewarding when sentences are upheld by the higher courts. These men will now spend the rest of their lives in prison, far away from Polk County.”

Another who will spend the rest of their life in jail after an appeal being sought was rejected was Aaron Arrington. The justices rejected his attempt to get a hearing on his life sentence handed down in 2021 – the first case to go before a jury in the aftermath of pandemic shutdowns in Polk County.

Arrington was convicted for the 2020 armed robbery of the Gulf Gas Station in Cedartown just before the pandemic closed up the world for several months. Senior Judge Walter Mathews’ sentenced Arrington to life with the possibility of parole.

Smith both prosecuted the case before the trial jury and led the State appellate case.

Since the case wasn’t taken up and it wasn’t a murder conviction, an opinion wasn’t provided on the State Supreme Court website as of this moment.

Smith added his continued thoughts for the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives, hoping the latest step in process brings some closure to loved ones.

“We hope these decisions provide a final peace of mind for the friends and families of the victims involved,” Smith said. “We want the families of Tammy Wolfe and Desmond Kinnemore to know they remain in our thoughts and prayers.”