Shellman v. State
Georgia Supreme Court
897 S.E.2d 355 (2024)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Isaac Shellman (defendant) was charged with the murder of his wife, Shanelle. At the scene of the crime, police had found Shanelle’s journal in a closet. The journal detailed Shanelle’s feelings about her relationship with Shellman. The journal stated that Shanelle was unhappy, that the couple fought frequently, that Shellman was jealous and made false accusations of infidelity, that Shellman was violent for no reason, and that Shanelle was “scared of what may happen.” At trial, Shanelle’s mother, best friend, and neighbor each testified that the couple’s relationship was tumultuous. Shanelle’s best friend testified that Shellman was abusive. The trial court admitted the journal into evidence over Shellman’s hearsay objection. Shellman was convicted, and he appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Pinson, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
