Man’s murder conviction, life sentence upheld on appeal

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life sentence imposed on a Warner Robins man.

Trey Lorenz Dinkins and Marquis Torez Lowe were convicted during separate jury trials in 2012 of killing 19-year-old Dajohn Milton in a botched robbery attempt for drugs.

On Monday, the ruling upholding Dinkins’ conviction and sentence was published.

Milton was found lying on a dirt path between Cedar Pointe Apartments and Savannah Apartments in Warner Robins the late afternoon of March 20, 2011. He had been shot multiple times behind a burned-out building and left for dead.

At his trial, Dinkins denied shooting Milton and claimed he was at a cousin’s house at the time of the shooting.

Dinkins admitted, however, that he was with Lowe shortly after the shooting, and several witnesses saw them together afterward.

Justices found that evidence at trial was sufficient to “authorize a rational trier of fact to find (Dinkins) guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Dinkins also challenged his conviction on the grounds that Lowe, who invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, could have given some useful testimony without incriminating himself.

Dinkins’ “allegation of error, however, is not properly before this court because he did not raise a contemporaneous objection to the manner in which the trial court handled Lowe’s invocation of his Fifth Amendment rights,” justices found.

In addition, Dinkins accused the prosecution of misconduct and charged that his defense attorney was ineffective. Both claims centered on inconsistencies of witness testimony.

Justices found neither misconduct by the prosecution nor ineffective counsel by the defense.

Justices noted that “such inconsistencies and how they may impact the credibility or veracity of witnesses are for a jury to reconcile.”

The state Supreme Court previously upheld Lowe’s murder conviction and life sentence.

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Man’s murder conviction, life sentence upheld on appeal."