Shoffner v. State

── Shoffner v. State ── Court: Supreme Court of Georgia Date: May 19, 2026 Category: General NOTICE: This opinion is subject to modification resulting from motions for reconsideration under Supreme Court Rule 27, the Court’s reconsideration, and editorial revisions by the Reporter of Decisions. The version of the opinion published in the Advance Sheets for the Georgia Reports, designated as the “Final Copy,” will replace any prior version on the Court’s website and docket. A bound volume of the Georgia Reports will contain the final and official text of the opinion. In the Supreme Court of Georgia No. S26A0529 Anthony Douglas Shoffner Jr. v. The State On Appeal from the Superior Court of Houston County No. 2022C0057524A Decided: May 19, 2026 BETHEL, Justice. A jury found Anthony Douglas Shoffner Jr. guilty of malice murder and related crimes in connection with the stabbing deaths of his mother Rebecca Griffin and stepfather Kenneth Griffin. 1 1 The crimes occurred on March 11, 2020. In October 2020, a Houston County grand jury indicted Shoffner for malice murder (Counts 1 and 2), felony murder predicated on aggravated assault (Counts 3 and 4), aggravated assault with a knife (Counts 5 and 6), and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony (Counts 7 and 8). In March 2022, Shoffner was reindicted for the same eight counts, as well as an additional count of aggravated assault against a third victim (Count 9). Count 9 was nolle prossed before trial. A June 2022 jury trial ended in a mistrial. Shoffner was retried the following week, and the jury found him guilty of all counts. The trial court sentenced Shoffner to serve consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole on Counts 1 and 2 and a consecutive 5 years’ imprisonment on each of Counts 7 and 8. The remaining counts merged or were vacated by operation of law. Shoffner timely filed a motion for new trial, which was subsequently amended through new counsel. Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial court entered an order denying Shoffner’s motion for new trial, as amended, on September 22, 2025. Shoffner timely filed a notice of appeal, and his appeal On appeal, Shoffner argues that the evidence was not sufficient as a matter of constitutional due process to support his convictions, that the trial court erred by denying his motions to suppress and for mistrial, and that trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective. For the reasons that follow, Shoffner’s claims fail, so we affirm. 1. Viewed in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdicts, the evidence presented at trial showed the following. On the morning of March 11, 2020, Kenneth and Rebecca Griffin were found stabbed to death inside their apartment. Earlier that morning, a maintenance worker at the Griffins’ apartment complex had observed Shoffner walking the Griffins’ two dogs and, later, leaving with the dogs in Kenneth’s maroon Jeep. Shortly after, Shoffner abandoned the dogs at a local pet store. Shoffner then visited a gaming store and sold various pieces of Kenneth’s gaming equipment. Shoffner proceeded to drive to a nearby apartment complex, where he chased a maintenance worker while wielding a baseball bat, struck the worker with the bat, and accused the worker of sexual assault. Shoffner then went to a local pharmacy where he verbally assaulted one of the store’s patrons, leading the manager to call 911. Upon arrival, police pla