State of Tennessee v. Aleriq Lorenzo Smith

A Madison County jury convicted the Defendant, Aleriq Lorenzo Smith, of first degree premeditated murder, first degree felony murder, attempted first degree murder, and aggravated assault, among other offenses. The trial court imposed an effective sentence of life imprisonment. On appeal, the Defendant raises two principal issues. First, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his convictions. Second, he contends that the trial court erred in denying his motions to suppress his confession, asserting that he was not competent to knowingly and intelligently waive his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Upon our review, we conclude that the evidence is legally insufficient to sustain the Defendant’s conviction for aggravated assault, and we therefore vacate that conviction and dismiss the charge. We also remand the case for entry of corrected judgments reflecting the merger of his two first degree murder convictions. In all other respects, we respectfully affirm the judgments of the trial court.