State of Tennessee v. Chaziah Jibril Woods and Ronnie Dale Sims, Jr.

A Davidson County jury convicted both Chaziah Jibril Woods and Ronnie Dale Sims, Jr. of first degree felony murder (Count 1), first degree premeditated murder (Count 2), attempted first degree murder (Count 3), three counts of employment of a firearm during the commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony (Counts 4, 7, and 9), attempted especially aggravated robbery (Count 5), and two counts of especially aggravated burglary (Counts 6 and 8). At sentencing, the trial court imposed an effective sentence of life imprisonment plus twenty-two years for Woods and an effective sentence of life imprisonment plus twenty-five years for Sims. Thereafter, Woods and Sims filed appeals, and their appeals were consolidated for appellate review. Woods argues on appeal: (1) the evidence is insufficient to sustain his convictions; (2) the trial court erred in denying his motion to sever his trial from Sims’s trial; (3) the trial court erred in admitting testimony from the substitute DNA analyst; (4) the trial court erred in admitting DNA evidence; (5) the trial court erred in admitting digital and message evidence; (6) the trial court erred in admitting exhibits and evidence against Woods that included communications, records, and contextual proof from Sims’s cell phone; (7) the trial court erred in instructing the jury on criminal responsibility and mere presence; (8) the trial court erred in admitting photographs and evidence depicting the victim’s gunshot wounds and post-mortem conditions; (9) the trial court imposed an excessive sentence; and (10) the cumulative effect of these errors entitles him to a new trial. Sims contends on appeal: (1) the evidence is insufficient to sustain his convictions; (2) the trial court erred in admitting the call detail records from T- Mobile; and (3) the trial court violated his right of confrontation and his right to a fair trial when it allowed the State to present DNA evidence through a substitute witness, rather than through the original DNA testing analyst. After review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court but remand for entry of corrected judgments in Count 1 and Count 2 for both Woods and Sims.