Court reinstates death sentence
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday reinstated the death sentence imposed in Hall County against Scotty Garnell Morrow for the 1994 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her friend.
A judge overseeing Morrow's appeal had ruled Morrow's trial attorneys were so ineffective during the 1999 trial's sentencing phase that a new one was necessary. But Justice Hugh Thompson, writing for a unanimous court, overturned that ruling and reinstated the death sentence against Morrow.
Morrow's lawyers "generally performed adequately," Thompson wrote. "The absence of trial counsel’s professional deficiencies … would not in reasonable probability have resulted in a different outcome in either phase of Morrow’s trial."
According to the evidence, Morrow had been dating Barbara Ann Young for six months when she kicked him out of the house after he beat and raped her. On Dec. 29, 1994, he drove to Young's home and entered while Young was in the kitchen with others -- Tonya Woods, LaToya Horne and two of Young’s children.
Woods told Morrow that Young wanted nothing to do with him anymore, according to court filings. Morrow then shot Woods in the abdomen with a 9-millimeter pistol, paralyzing her from the waist down. He also shot Horne in the arm.
Morrow followed Young to her bedroom where he beat her in the head and face, according to court records. Morrow grabbed her by the hair and shot her point-blank in the head, killing her. From his hiding place in a nearby bedroom, Young’s 5-year-old son witnessed her murder, prosecutors said.
Morrow returned to the kitchen, placed the muzzle of the pistol an inch from Woods' chin and killed her with a shot to the head. Seeing Horne move on the floor, he shot her two more times, in the face and arm, then cut the telephone line and fled. Horne managed to get to a neighbor's house, and Morrow, after he was arrested, confessed to the shootings, prosecutors said.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
