Ga. high court upholds conviction in Berrien murder

Terry Richards, The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
·1 min read

Jun. 30—ATLANTA — The state supreme court upheld the conviction and life sentence Thursday of a man tried in a 2014 Berrien County murder case.

Kelvin Eugene Brown Jr., now 39, had been convicted in 2016 of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and two weapons charges in the death of Cornelius Rashawn Miller, 29, of Lakeland, according to the Georgia Supreme Court's ruling. Brown was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and five years each for the firearms charges.

The conviction was appealed on claims of insufficient evidence, wrongfully treating one of the witnesses as a "hostile" witness and allowing witnesses to testify who did not have "personal knowledge" about the shooting. The justices saw no errors and allowed the conviction to stand.

At about 2 a.m., March 15, 2014, a Nashville police officer on patrol duty saw a crowd gathering outside of a club. Miller was found lying face down, still breathing, according to the court's ruling.

Miller was taken to the Berrien County emergency room, where he died.

Brown was arrested March 17 at a motel in Cecil.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.