Georgia Supreme Court upholds Deonte Norwood’s life sentence

ATLANTA - The Georgia Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction and life without parole sentence of Deonte Norwood, ruling that a Walton County jury had sufficient evidence to find him guilty of killing Crystal Powell and causing excessive mental pain to five children who witnessed the crime.

Deonte Norwood's conviction upheld

What we know:

In a 14-page decision issued Tuesday, the justices rejected Norwood’s arguments that prosecutors failed to prove five counts of first-degree child cruelty and that the trial judge mishandled his request for a new trial. Justice Colvin wrote that the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, supported each conviction.

Norwood argued on appeal that he could not be guilty of child cruelty because he did not know the children were in the home. The court dismissed that claim, citing prior precedent that the statute "does not require evidence that [a] defendant ha[ve] any specific awareness of a child’s presence" when committing the malicious act.

He also claimed the trial judge failed to properly evaluate conflicts in the evidence when denying his motion for a new trial. The Supreme Court found no error, noting the judge applied the correct legal standard and had broad discretion under Georgia law.

Death of Crystal Powell

The backstory:

Norwood was convicted in February of malice murder and five counts of child cruelty in the first degree. Prosecutors said he stabbed Powell 14 times on April 16, 2022, while five children either saw the assault, heard it unfold, or witnessed its aftermath inside Powell’s Monroe home.

According to testimony outlined in the ruling, the children described watching Norwood stab Powell, seeing him retrieve a weapon, running upstairs in fear, hiding behind locked doors, and calling 911 while pleading for help. Investigators said the children later saw Powell’s body on the ground. One child stepped in his mother’s blood as he exited the home. Another said the sight made him "sad." Powell’s son described his heart "rac[ing]" when he saw her on the floor.

A cousin testified that the children were "terrified" and now wake up screaming at night because they fear Norwood will return.

Norwood told investigators he "snapped" and admitted stabbing Powell, though he later recanted that statement at trial and claimed she stabbed herself. The jury rejected his account.

Norwood's sentence

What's next:

The convictions stand, and so does Norwood’s life without parole sentence.